Sword Art Online: On Infinity's Edge
by Seiji Godspeed
Summary: What if there was a team of veteran MMO players who's hellbent on finishing SAO as quickly and as efficiently as possible? Watch how they compete with Kirito's team in a clash of swords, feelings and rivalries!
1. Chapter 1 A Spiraling Descent

**Chapter 1 - A Spiraling Descent**

* * *

"This... Is a darn good game! Hahahahaha!" Loud shouting commenced the very moment the four of us stepped into the game, with my buddies running wildly across the Plaza-like spot where we dropped off right after the Nerve Gear System finished it's physical and aptitude exams. Well, true. I couldn't deny myself that this is a pretty good game, for something new to the genre, I can clearly see how much technology has evolved in Japan, it was indeed, truly awesome as I reveled at the beauty of the clear blue skies, the white doves flying across it, the warm, radiant aura of the sun gently embracing my skin, the starting city's plush structures, carefully reproduced in 3D, the NPCs, the characters themselves, specially the female form, everything, I thought as I subtlety ogled a passing female avatar.

It was a sight to behold.

"Hey! Hey Storm! Let's start whacking out some mobs outside! I can't wait to get the feeling of bashing up 3D shiznit bwahahahah!" Shouted Nineball, as she stood on the far end of the street, even though we basically heard just gibberish, the way she waved her hand and pointed towards the town's gate signified what he wanted to do, and what we all wanted to do. I could feel my heart thumping loudly with excitement as I looked back at the rest of my friends.

Yes, they were all here. All the people whom I valued even before this game; Sword Art Online was even placed in the drawing board, nah, even way back before the concept of Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Role Playing Game or VRMMORPG for short, even came into it's creator's mind. They were people I could trust with all my virtual wealth, my deepest closely guarded skill builds, and even with my very own life, in-game that is.

We are brothers, we are comrades, we are friends, we are family. That's the kind of camaraderie we share in whatever Online Game we play, and it never changes. Under the banner "Till Eternity", we fight to excel, to surpass the limits of everybody else, to reach the pinnacle of each and every game there is.

Yes, we play to conquer and dominate.

And with the dawn of VRMMORPG upon us, we decided to further elevate our glory by taking part in the century's very first Virtual Reality based Online Game, Sword Art Online.

And our adventure in this new and unknown world shall start...

...Just about now, as me, Akira and Thornforge ran full speed towards the gate to catch up, our faces feeling the gust of wind softly brushing past them, faithfully reproduced by the system, which made us grin as we went, and even if we were venturing in this new world, I was pretty confident myself that this would be 'just another game'...

...Or so I thought.

* * *

"Bwahahahah... Hahahaha!" I couldn't help but laugh my behind off as the boar-like monster just outside the Town of Beginnings was starting to make a mincemeat out of Akira and Thornforge's avatars, with them having a little bit of trouble adjusting to the game's Assistance System because it is indeed, new to everybody else in the group... Except for me.

Reason is because I played the game on it's Beta Test Stage, being one of the lucky 1000 people to be granted the opportunity and honor to be the ones to first step upon the vast lands of Aincrad to savor it's beauty and all. So, within those two weeks that they allotted us, I basically managed to get a grip on how the Sword Skill System works, the very backbone of this game, which makes it more exciting and fun.

Just the concept of inventing your very own moves, up to the idea of giving yourself the freedom of timing of when to execute each move, is flawless. Perfect. It gave us, players more versatility, freedom and flexibility when it comes to playstyle, builds, and possibly even equipment loadout as there will be endless combinations to compensate for every area a player may lack numbers in.

"Oh come on, Akira, you can do better than this!" I remarked sarcastically as I stood behind him, his avatar's ripped frame stood in an awkward battle stance, currently holding a simple straight edged sword, he was simply just a standing dummy for the monster's eyes. "Here, here's how you do it, watch and learn, you noob hahahaha!" I sarcastically added as I drew the small wooden shield and copper colored mace that the game offered as a starting equipment.

The monster Wild Boar stood in front of me, it's glowing red eyes sparkled with hatred against me as I pushed Akira out of the way, effectively re-directing the hate value towards myself. "Now, watch and learn guys, here's how you properly do it, as there aren't any hotkeys for skills in this game hahaha." I bragged as the Wild Boar charged towards me with reckless abandon.

Calming myself down, I carefully tracked it's movement, pure expertise, skill and years of experience in the field of being labeled as the 'Tank' kicking in as time seemed to slow down for him, and sped up for me. At the same time that the Boar's figure lunged up, baring his sharp fangs against me, I raised up my shield at eye level, covering my body.

*BAM!*

Then the attack connected, it was weaker in power but it still packed a good punch, but not quite enough to knock me out of stance and not even a little bit strong to penetrate my defense. As the monster got stuck in it's after-attack delay, it's body shook as the shock waves of it's attack being deflected back rocked him, and that was my turn to strike back. I wielded my mace in a low stance, it's body beginning to glow, a signal that the conditions have been met, and the System Assist function is starting to kick in.

At the right moment when the glow was at it's brightest, I gathered strength in my arms then I unleashed the blow, swinging the mace in an upwards trajectory, the bright blue glow exploding into a myriad of both green and blue lights which embraced my entire arm during the swing's duration. The mace sped with ruthless aggression, catching the Wild Boar's chin square on, the particles of light scattering all around both me and the Boar, I quickly checked the monster's HP bar which drained down real quick, down to halfway, to the yellow zone, then on the red zone, then finally to empty.

At that instant, the monster shrieked, loosing a low grunt before being transformed back to it's origins; which is a series of numbers, algorithms and equations, exploding in a bright flash of blue pixels.

That is what 'death' looks like in this world, short, quick and uneventful, but not that it matters anyways, they will just respawn back, I thought to myself as I heaved a deep breath before sheathing my shield and mace back before turning to my mates. "And that is how you use a Sword Skill. You basically have to get in a proper stance to activate the System Assistance function, then at the right moment, release it, and the rest will be done by the System itself, so no need to worry. Learning to chain them is a different story though." I bragged bashfully, making them feel like I was superior, when in fact I wasn't really. I just kinda got used to it since Beta days anyway.

"Haauu~ So... It's pretty much like..." Then Nineball, who stood a good few meters away from us, who is currently engaging a similar monster raised her voice to catch out attention. "...This!" The twin straight double-edged daggers she was dual-wielding were like fangs that bore their deadly tips as they were wielded in a reverse grip by her waist level.

Nineball's blade began to show traces of soft blue light, and in just a matter of seconds, it was totally enveloped by it. "HAAAAAAAAAH!" She took off, her trademark fancy footwork which has always been her best ability in every other game we played carried her swiftly in a collision path with the monster. A loud swoosh sound roared through our ears as her glowing blades connected against the Boar's polygonal flesh, the point of contact briefly shone red before shattering into pixels.

"Hoooh. Cool. You guys are getting used to it already huh... Me and Akira sure feel noob right now that it makes me want to QQ." Came the complaint from Thornforge, who was, by now is still dragging his hammer on the ground trying his best to figure out how to start a Sword Skill. "HRAAAAAH! DEMMET!" Without warning, the big guy started yelling as he charged towards an idle Wild Boar a couple of feet away, his huge hammer held in two hands and...

It was actually glowing faint green, but the Boar quickly drew aggro towards Thornforge, the mad dash it made seemed to rock the very earth, quite impressive for a beginner mob, I could say.

As the distance between them closed, Thornforge, without much of a clue as to what's happening, I would guess just let it flow through him, as the green light completely enveloped his hammer, it's thick body seemed as if it was ablaze with green fire. Then as he swung it wildly, his body began to dance as well, he spun round and round and round, until he looked like a human whirlwind, and in just a few seconds, the violently revolving Thronforge collided against the Boar, a loud crash was heard and the monster's body shattered like glass in one shot, as if it was merely glass struck with a hammer.

A loud silence hung in the air after Thorn's move ended, our jaws hung agape. "...Holy shit." Were the two words that we mentally spoke to ourselves as Thorn clumsily walked back towards us, his steps staggering, most likely because he's either dizzy or he's drunk with his little glory, but that's totally up to him because it was incredible anyway. I'm actually guessing the move he executed, whatever it's official name is, is more or less a mid-level Sword Skill, and for a beginner like him to...

"Bahahahaha. Well, fornicate that feces bro, that shiz was awesome!" With a large grin plastered on to his face, Thorn barked liked a dog who just learned the pleasures of the bone, and he was prancing around too much, enough to attract the aggro of more Boars who were in the immediate area.

"Oi oi, looks like you've got bogeys on your arse huh?" I blurted, drawing my weapons as I saw around four or five Boars beginning to close on him. "Well, not as if it's 'that' bad anyways hahahaha. Come on, let's get our numbers up!" Charging myself into the fray, I could feel myself grinning as well, my soul stirred and my happiness soaring to new heights, it's as if I feel so alive in this world, as if this is a place where I have complete, total and absolute freedom.

Akira and Nineball closely followed my lead as Thornforge went ahead to engage the mobs himself, their faces showing the same expression as mine, laughing and screaming as they went, weapons flailing like the low leveled bunch we are.

* * *

"Wheeeew, man I'm beat." Sighed Thronforge as his massive hulk of a body plopped down with a loud thud on the ground as his hands flailed about, hammer lying discarded a few inches from him, exhausted from all the mindless burst leveling we did without rest, for a good four or five hours straight. "Well, not bad. I actually got up to Level 12 with that, and with this I think we could go ahead and ROFLSTOMP our way to the next village eh? I don't particularly like to stay in the Town of Beginnings, it's bound to be crowded soon enough." He added under ragged breath, manipulating his in-game menus a little bit clumsily using his index finger.

"Welp. But this is such a badass game that I think we could easily blitz through it, given our performance just now, and I bet all my Col that no one else have leveled as much as we did in this time frame. We could make a ton of money through RMT this way." Added Nineball, the female avatar who's curves can easily seduce even the baddest of monsters who was leaning on a thick tree which provided us shade.

"Ha! Look at her go, we're just wee bit into the game and she's already talking about RMT, I swear you're such a gold digger." Akira remarked sarcastically as he finished up the last Boar in the area, which was by now, completely empty save for our avatars, almost making it look as if we annihilated Boars on such extremes that we made it extinct. "Well, not that it's a bad thing though hahahaha. Well, we're missing one more gold digger though. Where's your girlfriend, Storm?" He added as he sat down with his legs outstretched.

"Yeah, speaking of. Where's IronMaiden? Didn't she logged on?" Inquired Thornforge as he sat up, hand reaching for his hammer.

"I... Was actually supposed to wait for her just around this area, I already told her beforehand, and not as if she's going to get lost, she was on Beta Phase too." Remembering something that I momentarily forgot, I actually checked a couple of Windows to check if her avatar was online, typing in her usual In-Game Name, which is 'IronMaiden' to try and send her a personal message.

Stormgrace: Hey! Where'd you run off? :o  
**[SYSTEM]**: Recipient Does Not Exist or Is Not Logged On.  
Stormgrace: Hey Ly!  
**[SYSTEM]**: Recipient Does Not Exist or Is Not Logged On.  
Stormgrace: Lynette! Hey!  
**[SYSTEM]**: Recipient Does Not Exist or Is Not Logged On.  
Stormgrace: Lololol AFK?  
**[SYSTEM]**: Recipient Does Not Exist or Is Not Logged On.  
Stormgrace: ...  
**[SYSTEM]**: Recipient Does Not Exist or Is Not Logged On.

After sending multitudes of Private Messages, all I got were just a bunch of System Replies stating that she isn't logged on. "Well, looks like she's not here yet... And she did promised me to meet at exactly this time so... I wonder what happened, she never breaks her words..." I hung my head as I felt that something was slightly a bit off, doing my best to remember the conversation we had the other day if I may have been wrong or what but no, I am 200% sure she said "Wait me at the big Acacia tree just outside the Town of Beginnings, at around 2pm." I checked the place, I checked the time, everything's set, she's already late, since it's around quarter to 3.

"Well, something must have come by, don't worry lover boy, she's just going to pop up sooner than you expect." Thornforge commented after seeing my serious face which is by now, pretty long since this is the very first time she ditched me after she promised something.

"No, it's not that..." I sat down on the boulder that was adjacent by the tree.

"What is it then...?" Came Nineball's worried question, as she always had her own way with IronMaiden, as they were more or less bestfriends, money-mates and partners, online-wise that is. They have spent so much time together at previous games, they have farmed millions upon millions of in-game currency which, they sold for real-life money, hence the term "RMT", or Real-Money-Trading, and hell, they sure made a lot of big bucks on that line of trade.

"I'm just... No, uh, how do I phrase it... I..." Casting my head downwards, it was pretty hard to put my thoughts into words, as I am not a person who well, believes in folklore, the unknown, the arcane, those stuff, you know. I'm more of a realist so to say. But I just have this sinking feeling, that certain something tugging at the edges of my mind. "...I have a bad feeling about this..."

"Well, can't say I myself believe all those crap but man, since it's your girl, I think she comes first before this game, don't you think?" Being the big, burly guy he is, Thornforge remarked while poking his cheeks, which, really looked awkward, given his build. "I mean yeah, this is just a game after all, we all have our priorities and stuff like that..." He added. Glancing around, I noticed everybody else was looking back at me, and they were either nodding or just had their eyes closed.

"...Then I'd take that offer then. I'll just logout to quickly check on her then we'll both come running back so hold your horses and wait four our return before grinding up, okay?" Pouting with my arms crossed, I slid a protest, vaguely remembering before when I left just before a New Game Patch which raised a Player's Level Caps, and with them being the MMO addicts they are, shot their avatars up the higher echelons of the society, in a moment's heartbeat.

After hearing a chorus of 'yes' from the group, I stood up and stretched my limbs, the bones cracking with satisfying sounds. I then raised my right hand, flicking my index finger to access the System's Interface Menu, where all the 'Tabs' are. I navigated towards the Options Tab, then scrolling my way the the very button hoping to find...

...The Logout Button but...

"It's... Not there..." I whispered as my lips started to lightly shake. "...The Button... Not here..." Scrolling up and down with precision, I tried searching where the Logout Button was, checking each and every menu for it, but here was none. It was gone. A blank space was in it's place, on the last line under the Options Menu, marked by a gear icon.

It. Is. Not. There.

"Oi, what's wrong? Are you lagging or what?" With an unsure tone, Akira noticed my erratic movements as the sweat hanging from my chin fell down. "Go on and hurry up, she might be waiting for you or something or, well I don't know, just get going!" He then walked up to me, poked his head over my shoulder, seeing the in-game Menu I was manipulating.

My fingers stopped moving, as if they were frozen.

"Uhh... You're joking, right?" This time, sounding alarmed, Akira backed off a couple of steps, before making his own gestures to check his own menu. "Not there... Not here... No... None... What the?! Where is it?!" His fingers rapidly glided, clicked and tap, frantically looking for that missing part of the System. The heads started turning towards the two of us who were like idiots prancing around, manipulating Menus.

"Hey... What are you guys fiddling about?" Nineball stood up nimbly, springing into life quickly, moving closer to us. "Huh?" She scratched her head a few times before finally noticing. "Eh?! The logout button is gone! How can it be happening?! How can we logout? Ehhhh..." Firing questions one after the other, she looked as if she was already panicking more than us.

"No, seriously. It's not there. How can we logout if it's not there? I mean... What's even going on with our bodies? Hooohooo shit." Propping myself down near the tree's shade, I tried to calm down and make things settle. "Maybe this is just some sort of bug, and maybe the GMs are already fixing it, I mean come on, who wouldn't notice this, right? I bet people are already going ballistic back in the starting city." I added just to further calm the people around me who were showing signs of confusion.

"Welp. There's only one way to find out..." Thornforge hoisted his heavy build up with the help of his hammer, and I swear the ground cracked as he did. "Why don't we all go back to town and check for ourselves? I mean, it'd be easier that way, right?" He suggested as he pointed towards the distant large gates of the Town of Beginnings, and as I squinted my eyes, I could even see the small figures of people flocking back into the entrance.

Yeah, maybe it's just a bug. But still, it's scary as hell.

*DING DONG DANG DONG*

Just then, a chime sound resonated within our ears, along with a System Notification Window that popped out of our peripheral vision. It's red bordered linings indicated that it is a critical announcement directly from the Game Masters of the company, Argus, who published the game itself. Our glances met each other before glancing back at the message, hoping to get some answers.

**[SYSTEM]**: A message to all Sword Art Online players. We have been notified about the current bug wherein players are unable to locate the 'Logout' button. Please do not be alarmed as we are already working on it. For a further announcement, we request all players to please gather back at the Plaza in the Town of Beginnings. That is all, thank you for your patronage.

"There you go..." Akira and Nineball said in unison as both of them stood up at the same time as well, perfect timing, given their would-be roles as being the team's main DPSers. "...Well, what are we waiting for? Hahaha to be honest, I wanted to get this done quickly so me and IronMaiden could blitz through our levels so we can start farming some moolah. I kinda miss her after being in hiatus from the last game we were on, and besides, I need real-life money as well." Nineball said as she started to skip ahead, towards the City.

"Fine fine." We all sighed as we slowly dragged ourselves back, shot down from the excitement of the premise Sword Art Online had to offer.

* * *

"Whoa, it's crowded." Nineball complained as soon as we stepped back into the main town, cramming ourselves as the flock of 10,000 players all seemed to have heeded the announcement earlier, and is now stampeding towards the plaza. I swear, if our HP Bars in the towns aren't locked or protected by the System, and if we can get hurt or killed by environmental damage, we would all be crushed to death by now.

After spending a couple of minutes elbowing our way through the horde of people, we arrived at the plaza, and was able to secure a good spot, where we could oversee what was going on. The rest the gang sat down on the ground while I remained standing, observing and listening in the conversations of the people around me, who were either full of excitement, fear and whatnot.

Who wouldn't be afraid if he suddenly couldn't log out of the game, right?

We waited anxiously, we could even hear dissatisfied rants from some people, complaining that they needed to go do something, or to go somewhere else, and so on. Even I, I couldn't help but mentally complain as I was now seriously worried about where Lynette is, was she doing something else or was she able to log in or what, I was itching to know, as she never broke any of her promises up until today.

As more and more people began to huddle together and complain, the surroundings that were around us started to change, the once blue skies reverted to big WARNING signs which were in the shape of beehive nests, covering the vast expanse of the town's sky, painting our vision red. And before anyone could even react to it, with a loud BANG, a hole was blasted out of the System Messages and as if it was 'bleeding', red, viscous, blood-like liquid dripped from where the hole was, and a large, robed figure slowly descended.

Everybody else's mouth was agape, jaws hung in surprise and astonishment, as all of us were basically clueless as to what was going on. One Player even suggested that this might be some sort of 'Welcoming Ceremony' or even an 'Official Launching' but I don't know, if it is, and they are trying to make all the people currently logged in to attend it, it is a pretty bad marketing tactic if you ask me.

Amidst the loud shouting and protest from the players who were watching the looming red robed figure above us, it just remained silent, as with the rest of my guildies, who, as I glanced back, were still just sitting idly, and were just looking back up at the figure. I swallowed my spit (wait, do we even have spit in this world?) and I just glanced back up at the eerie figure, hovering before us.

I'd seen that robe before. It was the same clothing that the Argus employees who worked as GMs during the beta test had always worn. But back then, the male GMs had a face like an old sorcerer with a long beard and the females had an avatar of a bespectacled girl. They might have used the robe because they lacked time to prepare a proper avatar, but the empty space inside the hood gave me an unexplainable feeling of anxiety.

"Is that a GM?"

"Why doesn't it have a face?"

Thoughts like that were shot by voices which could be heard even if they were whispering, as the air was dead silent.

A pure white glove appeared from the folds of the long sleeve. But this sleeve, like the rest of the robe, didn't cover any sort of body. Then the left sleeve slowly lifted upwards, too. Then with its two empty gloves spread out in front of ten thousand players, the faceless person opened his mouth no, it felt like it did. Then a low, calm, male voice resonated from high in the air.

**[Players, I welcome you to my World.]**

At first, I couldn't determine what that message meant. The figure, whoever it was, if it really is a 'GM', it of course, certainly have 'godlike' powers inside this space, enabling him or her to bend everything according to their will, but why was he pointing it out right now? I mean, this all looks too fancy to be an 'Opening Ceremony' or something but I don't know. I threw a glance towards my buddies, then the figure lowered it's hands and continued talking.

**[My name is Kayaba Akihiko, and right now, I am the one and only person who can control this world.]**

"Eh?! What?!" My face went stiff at those words, and my avatar's body became rigid with shock, and my logic twisted itself around. Kayaba Akihiko, I know that name! There's no way I won't. This person, both a game designer and genius in the field of quantum physics, was the one responsible for raising Argus, which was just one of many small companies a few years ago, into one of the leading companies in its field. He was also the development director of SAO and, at the same time, the designer of the Nerve Gear.

As a hard core gamer, I respected Kayaba deeply. I bought all the mags that featured him and read his few interviews until I almost knew them all by heart. I could almost see him in the white overalls he always wore by just hearing his voice. But he had always stayed behind the scenes, refusing media exposure. He had never even been a GM, so why was he doing something like this? I forced my mind to start moving again, trying to make sense of the situation. But the words that came out of the empty hood almost seemed to mock my efforts to understand.

**[I think that most of you have already noticed that the Log Out Button has disappeared from the Main Menu. This is not a bug, it is all part of the System.]**

At that remark, my usually calm Guildmates all stood up, one by one, their faces all displayed the same emotion.

Fear. Uncertainty. Despair. Anger. Even I myself, if only I could see what expression my face is donning, I'm pretty sure it's just one of those.

**[Until you get to the top of this Castle, and clear the game, you cannot log out of your own free will.]**

That Castle, the tall, black, iron Castle which loomed before the Town of Beginnings, Aincrad. It's monstrosity towered towards, and above the clouds, soaring up with it's 100 floors, a truly dominating and intimidating sight for any daring adventurer.

Then the next phrase Kayaba uttered blew all my senses blue and black.

**[...Also, the disruption of the Nerve Gear from the outside is strictly forbidden. Should these things be attempted...]**

A heavy air hung over the 10,000 people who were dead silent, not one dared to move an inch.

**[The signal sensors in your Nerve Gears will emit a strong electromagnetic pulse which will destroy your brain, killing your physical body in an instant.]**

My roving gaze met with Thornforge's, and for a couple of seconds, we just blankly stared at each other in shock. It was as if my mind refused to believe what I had just heard. But Kayaba's short statement pierced through my body with a ferocity that was both hard and dense. Destroy our brains, or in other words, kill us. Any user who tries to remove the Nerve Gear or turn it off would be killed, that's what his statements flatly indicate.

People in the crowd started muttering, their voices growing louder and louder at each passing second. It was either they couldn't understand, or they just couldn't grasp what he really meant.

Thornforge, a man whom I knew from the online world a couple of years back, and someone whom I personally met during the short time I spent in the United States, raised his right hand slowly, trying to grasp the area where the clasp that supports the chin part of where the Nerve Gear should be in real life, and as he did, he loosed a dry laugh and started talking. "Haha... What's he saying? That man, has he gone nuts? He's not making any sense at all, The Nerve Gear... It's just a game. Destroy our brains... How is he going to do that, right? Stormgrace?" His voice broke at the last few words, Thornforge stared hard right back at me, but I couldn't nod in agreement.

The countless signal transceivers in the Nerve Gear's helmet emitted small electronic pulses to send virtual signals to the brain. They might call this the newest ultra-technology, but the basic theory was the same as a certain household appliance that's been used for over 40 years in Japan the microwave. If there was sufficient output, it was possible that the Nerve Gear would vibrate the water particles in our brains and cook it with the heat from the friction. But...

"...Theoritically it's possible but... He must and should be bluffing. Because if we pull the plug of the Nerve Gear, there's no way it can emit those electromagnetic pulses he is talking about... Unless there is some sort of internal battery or something... Inside the device itself..." I said, trying my best to remember the product's specifications as much as I can.

But I think old man Thornforge already knew why I stopped talking.

"There... Is..." He said, his words almost a scream with a hollow expression on his face. "Thirty percent of the gear's weight is in the battery. But... That's totally crazy! What if there was a sudden power outage or something!?" Kayaba started explaining, as if he had heard what Thornforge had shouted.

**[To be a little more specific, disconnection from an outside source of electricity for ten minutes, being cut off from the system for more than two hours, or any attempt to: unlock, dismantle, or destroy the Nerve Gear. If any of these conditions are met, the brain destruction sequence will start. These conditions have been made known to the government and the public through mass-media in the outside world. On that note, there have been several cases where the relatives or friends have ignored the warnings and tried to forcefully remove the Nerve Gear. The result...]**

The metallic voice took a short breath before continuing.

**[...Regretfully, 213 players have already exited the game, and the real world, forever.]**

A long, thin scream was heard. But most of the players couldn't or refused to believe what they had been told, and just stood there slack-jawed or with a wry smile on their faces. My head tried to reject what Kayaba had just said. But my body betrayed it and my knees started shaking violently. I stumbled back a few paces on my weak knees and managed to keep myself from falling. Thornforge fell on his backside, his expression lifeless.

213 players have already...

That phrase repeated over and over again in my head. If what Kayaba said was true, over 200 people have already died? Among them, there would have been beta testers like me. I might have even known some of their character names and avatars. These people had their brains burnt and... Died, is that what Kayaba was saying?

"...Don't believe it... I don't believe it..." This time, it was Nineball, who was sitting limply on the ground, her voice was more like a wail than a statement, and the corner of her eyes were filled with beads of tears, ready to fall anytime soon. "He... He's just trying to scare us. How would he do such a thing? Stop kidding around and let us out, we don't have the time to play around with such bigotry. Yeah... This is all just an event. An opening show or something, right?" Refusing to believe, she clasped her temples as she continued to sulk in the pavement.

Inside my head, the same notion was running rampart. Even I couldn't just simply accept this fact, no. It was impossible, ridiculously impossible.

But as if to dispel our hopes, Kayaba's monotone voice resumed it's explanation.

**[Players, there is no need to worry about the bodies you left on the other side. As of this moment, all TV, radio, and Internet media are repeatedly reporting this situation; including the fact that there have been numerous deaths. The danger of having your Nerve Gear taken off has already all but disappeared. In a moment, using the two hours I have provided, all of you will be transported to hospitals or similar institutes and be given the best treatment. So you can relax... And concentrate on beating the game.]**

"What?!" And at that remark, I lost all sanity, and I exploded all the feelings I was keeping inside as I shouted. "What are you saying?! Beat the game?! You want us to play around in a situation like this?! This isn't a game anymore, this is utter stupidity!"

Then, as if he heard nothing, Kayaba continued on, hearing the monotone voice once more, I gnashed my teeth in anger while my fists turned into a hard ball.

**[But I ask of you all to understand that Sword Art Online is no longer a simple game. It is a second reality... From now on, any form of revival in the game will no longer work. The moment your HP reaches 0, your avatar will be gone forever. And at the same time...]**

A cold chill run through our spines, and we could already guess what would come next...

**[...Your brain will be destroyed by the Nerve Gear.]**

Suddenly, an urge to laugh out loud bubbled from deep within my persona, but I forced it down. I tilted my head upwards, glancing towards to where my HP Bar is located, seeing the long, horizontal line, I squinted to check the numbers just below it, it read as 495/495. Hit points. My life force. The moment it reaches zero, I could kiss my life goodbye. I must have died at least 100 times during the two months of beta testing. I had re-spawned with a slightly embarrassed smile on my face in the palace north of the main plaza, the Black Iron Palace, and ran off into the hunting grounds again. That was what an RPG was: a sort of game where you keep dying and learning and leveling up. But now you can't? Once you die, you'll lose your life? And in addition... You can't even stop playing?

"...No freakin' way... I haven't... Even know where Lynette is... Damn... What the hell..." I muttered under my own breath, thoroughly assessing the situation I am in. In the first place, if death here means death in the real world, then who would want to go out, given these circumstances, right? It's just... So absurd.

Then, as if reading what I was thinking, Kayaba carried his statement on.

**[My dear Players, there is only one way to be freed from this game. As I have said before, you must get to the top of Aincrad, the one hundredth floor, and defeat the final boss that resides there. All players still alive at that time will be immediately logged out of the game. I give you all my word.]**

10,000 Players stood silent, including us.

It was then that we realized what he was talking about. He was referring to this monstrosity that imprisoned us all who were in the first floor, with 99 more floors stacked on top of each other, towering into the sky in which it floated. He was talking about Aincrad itself.

"C-Clear all 100 floors?! Has he gone nuts?!" Akira suddenly shouted, loosing his usual calm demeanor. "Besides, how would we even do that if all of us would be hampered by the fact that if we die here, we die on the other side as well?!" He continued to protest, glaring up against the red robed figure.

That was true up to some degree, yes. During the two months of Beta Testing, the 1,000 players who were given an opportunity to log in only managed to reach the 6th floor barely, and it took them countless casualties, resources and such just to achieve that feat, and right now, he was telling us to go ascend the 100 floors that loomed eerily before us? How, would we even do it?

Most players who had been forced here would be asking themselves this rhetorical question. The strained silence eventually gave way to low murmuring. But there was no sign of fear or despair. Most people here would still be confused about whether this was a real danger or a seriously warped opening event. Everything Kayaba had said was so horrifying that it felt unreal.

I craned my head back to look at the empty robe and tried to force my mind to accept this situation.

I can no longer log out, ever. I can't go back to my room, my life. The only way that I would get them back was when somebody defeated the boss on the highest floor of this floating castle. If my HP reached zero even once during that time I would die. I would die a real death and I would be gone forever.

But... However much I tried to accept these as facts, it was impossible. Just five or six hours ago, I had eaten the lunch that my mom made, shared a short conversation with my sister, read Lynette's mail about her meeting up here, then walked up the stairs of my house, activated the Nerve Gear and dived in.

Now I can't go back to all that? And this is now the real reality?

Then, the red robe that had always been one step ahead of us swept its right glove and started speaking with a voice void of all emotion.

**[Then I will show you evidence that this is the only reality. In your inventories, there will be a gift from me. Please confirm this.]**

Right after hearing his words, I flicked the Inventory tab under the Player Menu Window, pulling up a rectangular window with around thirty or so slots, aside from the Monster Drops we acquired earlier, there was one slot who contained a particular item, upon examining it by clicking, it displayed the name "Hand Mirror". Why did he give this to us? I was so curious that I confirmed it and a regular looking oblong shaped mirror appeared in my hands. All it showed was well, just my avatar's reflection, one I've changed to become more muscular and manly, a stereotype for all tank built warriors.

Suddenly, white light flooded my vision, almost enough to make me drop the item I was holding. I counted, one, two, or maybe three seconds before I was able to at least squint my eyes, and a few more seconds before I could open them fully. I glanced around, craning my head left and right and...

"Eh?! Wh-what the?! Th-Thornforge! What the hell, man!" I couldn't keep myself from screaming as my eyes met with the burly big guys Thornforge yet... His face was different, it wasn't what it was gone was the burly bear of a man, and in it's place, was a younger, and more dashing face, similar to the face I met a few years back, when I went to the United States but... How?!

Screams started erupting all around me as well, that certain astonished panic resounding in every part of the plaza. I glanced back towards my other guildmates, Akira, who's avatar was ripped and slender, still retained it's composure, and his face, was far younger than the one he used to have earlier, Nineball, who's tall and slender avatar now became petite and thin, long hair draped her shoulders which swayed as her head craned back and forth.

And lastly, I slowly threw a fit glance towards the mirror which I still held in my hand. the avatar's features whom I customized just before logging into the game was gone. Gone were the Asian features that I admired and tried so hard to mimic. Gone were the squinted eyes which slanted upwards, gone was the wild haircut I had, and the fairer complexion I always loved.. In it's place was just me, the plain, old me.

Dark brown hair which was a little bit longer than usual, blue eyes, pointy nose, narrow lips, pale skin. The best five set of words to describe how I look at the real world, and the way I look as I see myself through the reflection in the mirror. How... How could this even happen? And then I remembered.

The Nerve Gear covers the entire face and when worn for the first time, it scans the body's aptitude and records it in it's Memory Cache. That way, any game or whatever software could reproduce the exact same way he or she looks like in the real world. How clever, Kayaba, how clever.

Amidst the waves of cries, rants and whatnot, the voice rang one last time.

**[Dear Players, that concludes the opening ceremony for Sword Art Online. I wish you all good luck.]**

Then as suddenly as he appeared, the red robe figure reverted back into the sky, taking all the red Warning signs along with him, restoring the original blue skies back in it's place. Again, torrents of uncertainty were voice by the Players, with people starting to scurry around in different directions, unsure of what to do. Even I myself, I didn't knew what to do, and I just stood in the middle of this chaos, unable to move nor think straight.

I casted my head downwards, reflecting on the events that just happened, and the first thing that came into my mind was Lynette. Lynette Waldorf, a.k.a IronMaiden. My comrade, my friend, my lover. Where she is right now, what she is doing, I do not know. I don't even know if she was able to login into the game, or not, or if she was doing something else, again, I do not know.

Add the fact that this 'death game' might prevent me from ever seeing her again took it's dreaded tool into my mind. I slowly raised my hands, clasping my head as my knees buckled under too much pressure, sending me kneeling on the ground. "Shit... Shit... Where is she... Lynette..." I murmured over and over, trying to figure out what to do next, as the noise around us intensified, filled with wails of despair and hopelessness.

"H-hey... Stormgrace... Get a hold of yourself..." It was Thornforge, who was standing side by side with both Nineball and Akira, their faces too different for me to recognize. "...Come on, let's go, we just have to make a good gameplan to keep ourselves away from harm, haven't we done it before in other games?" He added, holding his hands out to me.

"BUT THIS ISN'T A GAME ANYMORE! WE COULD ALL DIE HERE!" I blurted in a wink of an eye, spilling out my thoughts as if they were mere spit. "ACCIDENTS STILL HAPPEN, THORNFORGE, WE NEVER KNOW! HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO GET OUT OF HERE?!" I continued my argument, earning a scornful look from my guildmates.

It's not about being a coward or something, it's just that... I wanted to see Lynette. I want to hold her so badly. I just... Couldn't go on without her, no...

"Oh you big wuss-of-a-bish!" Suddenly, a pair of hands reached for the collar of my Newbie's Armor Set, the fabric that was part of it stretched taught, which in turn lifted my body off the ground and almost off my feet. "Now listen. Don't be too damn selfish just because all of this happened!" His grip tightened, further raising my leverage, and my neck was caught in the twist, and I began feeling pain. "I know you're worried about your girl. But haven't you thought about any of us? Don't we have families, friends and loved ones waiting on the other side as well? Listen, all we gotta do, is end this game, right? All we have to do is crush his dreams of controlling us forever in this world, right? It's no epic task for us right? Remember what we CAN do, Stormgrace!"

At that moment, the System Message popped up, indicating Player Violence, Thornforge's cursor started blinking momentarily before a shock from the System was sent to his avatar, forcing him to let go of his hold.

Eyes wide open, I massaged my neck a couple of times before it all sank in. Yeah, he's right, I was indeed, being selfish. I was only thinking about myself that I totally ignored the fact that I am just another one out of the 10,000 players currently trapped here, and that those other 10,000 people also have their own lives and other stuff to worry about. But still...

"Haha... Hahahaha... HahAhAHHAhAhHAHAhH!" Letting my head hung between my shoulders, I loosed a maniacal laugh. "So... All we have to do... Is clear this game huh? Hahahahaha. Kayaba Akihiko I... I will show you... I will show you how a true gamer lives for his games... I... I will crush your dreams..." I said as I smacked the hard concrete with my fists, triggering the System Message which read Immortal Object as pain shot through my right arm. "Lynette... I don't know where you are right now but... Just wait, wait for me. I am coming home."

I then took up Thornforge's hand, propelling myself upwards, the tears brimming at the corners of my eyes shaken, I saw Akira and Nineball, who were just as pale faced and worried as me, but they stood firm. Shame on me but, I, as the guild leader should be the one to lead them.

To lead them back home.

* * *

A/N: So there we go with the debut of my SAO related fanfic! Although I took some parts from the original novel, I did it to preserve the story's integrity a little bit so atleast from the first chapter, it can pretty much stay canon. Anyways, chapter two we will start bending it to our wills hahahaha. Please look forward to the next installment!

PS: I'll be delaying the release of the next chapter of Accel World: The Wings of Time because I am currently researching about something which will serve as the chapter's integral point. I don't want to risk it being way off target so pardon me.

Greetz, Seiji


	2. Chapter 2 I Will Fear No Reproach

**Chapter 2 - I Will Fear No Reproach**

* * *

It was a blazing hot day outside, as the forest provided little to no protection against the beaming sun which loomed above us.

Sweat started to permeate my whole body, with the simple plate armor I was wearing added more levels to the insane heat I was feeling, and lo behold, not only it was heat coming from the sun, but it was the 'heat' of battle, which burned intensely inside my heart. I squinted my eyes, training them forward, there were three Kobold Swordsmen who currently had their aggro directed towards me, and their crude and blunt sword-like armaments which had short hook-like protrusions at the tip were all raised high and the small, spiky bucklers they had were handled low.

While I, stood in front of the team, holding my Iron Shield up, it's shiny surface reflecting light as my right eye peaked a little bit out to the right of it, to confirm their location and stance, while I kept my dominant arm, my right, which held the same colored Iron Mace hidden behind my shield low enough so the enemy will have a hard time predicting my move. The seconds ticked by really slow, and the Kobold's movements seemed all too slow.

Then suddenly, with explosive fervor, two of them started to blindly charge towards me, screaming gibberish as they went, while the third acted as support, and rallied behind them. This was what I was waiting for. Taking a brief backwards glance to confirm the location of my teammates; which is Nineball this time, I took off, hurtling myself forward against their mad dashes, my shield trained forwards, ready to meet their weapons.

My body itself started to glow with a bluish light, as I started to crouch lower than usual, to activate the System Assistance. As my feet carried me faster and faster, I could feel my lips grinning widely as I whispered the name of my Sword Skill.

"Divine Charger!" The wind brushing past my body intensified as the System recognized my activation, granting me the appropriate response, sending me speeding, in just a second, the two Kobolds who acted as the 'forwards' swung their swords downwards with fierce force, but with a resounding metal clang, they were met by my shield, my defenses not crumbling nor suffering from the shock as my skill provided me extra resistance while charging, and the Kobolds themselves were tossed sideways, sustaining damage from the shield blow they received, while the third one received the most as he was hit face-on with a blast from my sturdy armament.

After the skill ended, it situated my body directly behind the Kobolds, the three of them still stunned from the force of impact their puny little bodies received, while I, only a dot or two of HP was shaved off. I couldn't say it was a downside, but of course, I still received an attack, and although the skill itself provided me extra defenses and partial immunity to status ailments, I couldn't keep the chip damage I receive, but I didn't mind, I started raising up my skill Battle Regeneration which allowed my HP to regenerate while I assume a battle stance.

As if the Devil itself guided me, I held out my mace freely as I bent my knees forward, moving my shield away just a little bit to the left, before skipping a few steps forward, extending my right arm backwards as I did, with my eyes seeing the faint bluish glow starting to form, I put up a smirk. "Divine Breaker!" This time, I shouted the attack's name louder as the System once again guided my body, sending the Iron Mace crashing downwards with fury, unleashing an AoE attack in the center of the three Kobolds, them taking damage and at the same time, getting de-buffed, their Armor Value decreased as a result of my skill.

After unleashing two consecutive Sword Skills, I was already feeling the delay on my own avatar placed by the system. This was implemented so that people with lower Agility values such as me, since I'm a Tank, and I have little to no use to that attribute, won't be able to activate one Sword Skill to another in furious speeds. This was particularly dangerous specially if you are fighting alone, because just a split second delay between your movements could spell the brief letters of Death.

"Nineball! Switch!" I shouted towards Nineball, who was now readying her twin daggers, and is now in her battle stance.

This is really important when two or more people party up to clear dungeons. The Switch System. Well, the System doesn't exactly forbid us to swing our weapons around all at the same time but think about it, if three to four people started swinging and activating their Sword Skills all at the same time without making room for each other, what would it look like? I'm pretty sure it'd be chaotic as hell. So the Players adopted this way so people can alternate in-between gaps or delays, or whenever they see fit so as to strengthen their teamwork.

"Aight!" Hearing my call, she responded immediately, nimbly dashing off as soon as I gave the cue itself, twin daggers in both hands, the thin blades gleamed as it reflected light. Her small frame and light weight made her a really good candidate for the team's DPS (Damage Per Second) character, or in short, the main damage dealers, because of the furious speeds her blades could reach, easily stacking the combo meter. These classes are often the ones who deal the chunk of damage to enemies while staying out of harm's way as they are fragile as they can be, meaning they have to wait for the Tanks like me to create an opening before rushing in, dealing damage before retreating, letting the Tank take aggro once more.

As soon as she reached the first Kobold, both her blades exploded in red flames as she said her attack while laughing, kinda like how those serial killers do when they butcher their victims. I swear if you see it for yourself, you'd think she is crazy. "Gale Shredder!" Her cold words may have struck fear deep within the Kobold's heart as I could see the slight fright on their eyes amidst Nine's mischievous grin as the System guided her arms in a vicious 6-Hit Combo which striked each one of them twice, sending their HP Bars down into nothingness, and the next moment, blue pixels showered down on us along with a Confirmation Window which contained the amout of EXP, Skill EXP, Loots and Col the monsters rewarded us.

"Heeeey, pretty sleek moves ya got there, Mr. Tank." Nine moved closer to me as she sent her elbow to lightly nudge my sides while I concentrated on the Window which showed me my EXP. "Whoa. That's... Really something. You already reached Level 18 and we still haven't had cleared the first floor. Dafauq, you insane grinder." She commented while peeking over my Status Window.

Well yeah. One month into the game, and around two thousand people were already dead, and we haven't even cleared the floor just above the Town of Beginnings, progress grinded to a halt, and the percentage of the dungeon exploration was up to a mere 90%, and today we're up to the limits of the known area, so basically, me and my team are trying to Map the Boss Room if we can. Actually, we've started doing this around a week ago, after everyone got their Levels above the Levels of the enemies, by continuously grinding with the starting mobs just outside the Starting Town.

Hell, it was sure slow, but it did rewarded us. We earned Col, Sword Art Online's currency, we gained EXP far beyond what other people did, to the extent of our knowledge that is, and we were able to produce Armors, Weapons, Gears, Items, specially Healing Crystals to use in dire situations. We can say that we're pretty much geared and leveled to progress up to the next five or so floors before we need to grind Levels once more.

Yet, no one of us ever dared to try taking the 1st Floor Boss on, as still, the fear of dying, the fear of the unknown is still there, lingering inside our hearts. That's why today, we are here to surpass that fear, and to live our dreams.

"Look who's speaking, aren't you almost Level 16 yourself? Lol" I answered back as I sheathed my mace and shield back into the leatherette holster by the side of my waist. "Bah anyways, we should meet up with Thorn and Akira soon, this area isn't in the maps anymore and I think the Boss Room is just ahead, and I don't want anything bad to happen." I added, walking in the opposite direction of the un-mapped area.

**[Private Message]**Thornforge: Hey! We've arrived at the second Safe Zone just ahead of the juncture, we've pretty much covered the expanse and from the looks of it, the Boss Room is just a couple of steps away. We wait for you here guys!

Receiving the Private Message from Thornforge, it actually confirmed my theory, that sooner or later, we would hit a deadlock when we reach the Boss Room. Even I, I admit that I've been doubting our capabilities if we could tackle the boss all by our selves and of course, I couldn't escape the fact that I was also afraid of death. That's why my goal for today was to completely map the area up to the boss room, ransack any other hidden Treasure Chests we could find and if possible, try to check and confirm if the 1st Floor Boss Monster is still the same one as with the Beta Test Server.

"So there you have it Nine, they've hit the end of their stick, now we go meet them to well, check up on the boss room partially, I think." I said as I glanced back, checking up on Nine who was still too engrossed in scurrying through her Inventory Window, making sure she doesn't stray from me. "Hey, are you even listening? Don't get complacent lols." I scolded her, warning her of the clear and present danger we are always on while inside the labyrinth.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, you nagger!" Nineball shot back, scowling as she did. She always placed her Items and Money before her safety, as if she completely forgot that this is a 'deathgame', which is what I somewhat hate about her and the main reason why I always look out for her.

I sighed, placing both of my hands behind my head as I continued to walk, slightly closing my eyes- But after just a few seconds, a sharp yell echoed behind me which snapped me out of my daydreaming.

"Kyaah~!" Nineball yelped, followed by a blunt 'thud' sound that resonated in my ears. A curved wooden object flew past me which bent and swung around in an arc on the air, retracing it's trajectory, back to where it was launched. It was a boomerang, and it hit Nineball, her HP Bar showing evidence as it was shaved by a couple of dots which took her by surprise. "Ow ow ow ow~~" She then crouched down, holding the sides of her head where the boomerang hit, whimpering and bickering like a small child.

"Oi! Get up and get ready! We've drawn aggro!" I shouted as soon as I rushed to her side, my mace and shield geared up in rigid attention. "My apologies, I didn't saw that one coming but-" My words were cut off as I heard multitudes of whizzing sounds directly in front of us, most likely more of those boomerangs. I held my shield up to cover my upper torso and head, while I made sure that my body itself was covering Nine's.

***THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD***

Five thuds bounced off my shield, with the wooden boomerangs falling at my feet, I was able to visually confirm who our attackers were. They weren't your common Kobolds, more more or less, they were like a step higher than the rest, as they had boomerangs for use as long-range weapons, and hammers as their melee preference. Given the nature of hammers, they were heavy and slow, but they had one of the higher Attack Power weapons available to Players and Monsters to use.

I activated my skill Scanning to be discern the enemy's approximate location but-

***THUMP THUMP THUD CLANG THUMP***

"Hnngah..." I felt sharp, piercing pain through my body as I saw another set of those flying mofos racing in the air. Cursing under my breath, I checked my HP Bar, which was chipped about a good one-eight, held my shield further up as I tried to protect the both of us from wherever those things were flying from since I wasn't able to see where the enemy was because the skill level for my Scanning still wasn't that high.

"Nine! Get it together, we're turtling our way towards the Safe Zone!" I literally nudged her using my foot, letting her know how urgent the situation was, and if my senses were right, I'm guessing that just ahead of us, were around eight to ten High kobold mobs, and well, even if I consider myself a Tank, and certainly not as if I am backing down, I couldn't manage those numbers with only Nineball behind me, well, not at this point in time. "Let's go!" I shouted as my vision started to detect around ten or worse eleven or so of those bastards, slowly crawling out of the darkness.

"Dang, and we're not even in the Boss Room..." Nineball complained as she crept slowly, hiding behind me as she did.

I couldn't keep this up forever, I need to do something. As the boomerang barrage died down, I could feel their imminent charge... Which came, *as expected*.

"Nine! Distance yourself! I will deal with this! Be attentive for my Switch Command!" I said as I went charging towards the shadows, shield held up. As I neared the open expanse save for the pillars which were in front of me, I could feel the attention of the Kobolds trained towards me. Good. All of their aggro is directed towards me... But there was something wrong... I counted them, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven... Seven. Seven High Koblds surrounded me, their hammers raised high above their heads, ready to pounce on me.

"Shit!" Blatantly cursing, I realized my mistake as soon as the first strike was blocked by my shield, locking the first two Kobolds who charged against me in parry. "NINEBALL!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, trying to draw the aggro of the three or so remaining Kobolds who, I think crept behind my blind spot to get my comrade. "Shit shit... SHIT!" I couldn't help but continue cursing as I saw Nineball's HP Bar which was under mine because we were partied together, starting to drain.

*THUMP*

I clenched my teeth as I felt the pain of being bludgeoned, as I couldn't keep blocking each and every strike coming from seven Kobolds attacking at the same time, all the while seeing Nineballs' HP Bar draining, dot after dot. It was complete torture because, since I have the aggro of this bunch, I couldn't just run to where she is, less I want to draw more attention, or transfer the monster's hate value to her or something, which would put us in more danger.

On the other hand, try as we might, there was just too many of them. I retaliated with counter blows, but they weren't enough to drain their HP bars in one swing, and since there were so many of them, they just keep alternating their attacks and so on and so forth while I have to hold my ground, block and counter attack. I'm thinking that Nineball is having the same problem over there, main reason why her HP is going down, and the reason why I should hurry the fuck up.

"Divine..." I took a couple of steps back, letting my back rest on the nearest shoulder I can manage to crawl up to, my mace starting to faintly glow, along with my shield. I waited patiently for the Kobolds to gather in one spot while blocking their attacks. And as soon as they were in one tight spot, it was game over for them. I blocked one last blow, before finishing my move's aria. "...Vengeance!" Blasting the unlucky Kobold who attacked me away, his own body knocked his comrade's and they all stumbled as they were caught off guard. My mace then drew a wide arc, over my shoulder, past my head, and down on them, a huge shock wave rattled the ground as their bodies crashed against my attack, knocking about three quarters off their HP and leaving them stunned.

Wanting to finish them off, I readied my stance for my next move but...

"Linear!" A white streak of flash thundered off from my right side, and in an almost blinding speed, a red cloaked figure sped it's way towards my enemies and, brandishing a thin rapier-like blade, unleashed the fury of multiple Linears (basic one hand rapier skill) on the seven Kobolds, in lightning fast succession, smashing their HP bars into nothingness, making them explode into blue pixels.

"..."

Although my mouth basically dropped down to the ground and went back into place for a split second, my brows furrowed and my temper rose. "Hey, you." In a low voice, I called the figure's attention after confirming Nineball's HP has started recovering, most likely her encounter was done and she was able to use her Healing Crystals. "You just stole my kills. Give me a good reason why I shouldn't blast you to oblivion." I released my words, yeah, I was pissed since, come on, those are High Kobolds, they yield a ton of EXP and probably rare items, and he actually stole those rights away from me, when I was the one who initiated the fight, which was *still* in the borders of me being in control.

The figure just stood there silently, it's back facing towards me, the thin, white hand that sticks outside of it's crimson robe which covers the majority of it's figure, including it's face still held the thin blade it had, it's sliver gleaming against the flickering torchlights that we had as the main source of light.

"Hey, I'm actually talking to-" Geezuz, why does this game don't let me finish my sentences? Anyways, as I closed the distance between us, I saw a glimmer of light to my right, followed by a loud swoosh sound and, reacting on pure instinct, I quickly drew breath, extended my shield arm backwards, with the gratifying glow bathing my shield. "Rocket..." Just as my eye caught the boomerang careening towards us, I completed my move's name. "...Shield!" Then, I mustered all my strength, the System's light intensified as I released the iron plated shield I was holding from my grip, sending it hurtling in the air.

A gust of wind resulting from the violent throwing manner I did stirred up, soon followed by the crushing sound of the boomerang, then the satisfying smacking sound resulting from the blunt impact of my shield most likely against another Kobold, who was hiding somewhere. I visually confirmed it's retreat using my Scan skill before glancing back towards the cloaked figure...

Long, chestnut brown hair cascaded down her shoulders. Her lithe frame was clothed in a simple tunic, protected only by a small, simple breast plate, which isn't even metal, and the red cloak she had earlier was now lying down on the ground, blown away by the gust I presume.

Wait. Eh? A girl? And where'd my shield go?

At first, I couldn't find the words nor the strength to even open my mouth, but after a couple of seconds ticked by, I remembered that hey wait, this... Girl, actually 'kill stealed' me. And it's not as if I specifically asked for it, even though I admit it was a pretty sticky situation, I could've pulled it through, given my Level, skill and equipment, which is a notch higher than probably the Boss itself, I assume.

"Are you lagging or did you bit your tongue?" I asked as I sheathed my weapons back, icy glare directed towards her.

"Your teammate, I presume, she panics too much when she's surrounded." Her head tilted slightly towards me, and I caught a glimpse of her hazel colored eyes which accentuated her pale colored face.

"I wasn't asking about that." I replied without care as I really hate it when people ignore what I was asking.

"..."

"..."

Silence. A humid gust blew between us. We stood there without even moving a muscle for at least a few minutes but suddenly...

"?"

"Oi!" I kicked off as soon as I saw her robed figure's knees start to buckle, and as she completely spun out of balance, I caught her body in my arms, briefly noting how frail and thin she really was as my arms wrapped around her figure. "Hey! Get a grip of yourself! Hey!" I knelt on the ground to support her weight and to raise her head up, and seeing her face this close somehow prickled my heart a couple of times as I reveled the beauty of her chestnut hair which was slightly parted on one side, cascading down her shoulders, her thin, pink lips which were partially open, and her dark, long eyelashes, they all complimented to her overall beauty.

But I didn't had time to ponder too much about it, this beauty just collapsed in front of me, and given the situation we are in, my heart thumped with adrenaline as the idea of someone dying in my arms sinked in.

"Hey! Hey! Wake up!" I almost started to slap her when her eyes opened slowly, once again revealing her glass-bead like hazel colored eyes.

"I... I'm sorry... My fatigue may have peaked..." She softly said as she placed one hand over her stomach. "It's been almost a day since I last ate after all, I think..." She added as she drew up a faint smile.

Not eaten for almost a day? Well, that was either insane or reckless. in Sword Art Online, 'eating' itself isn't a necessary thing to do, as basically, our avatars can go on forever even without it. But the thing is, there's that certain sinking feeling one feels whenever he doesn't fill up, and it's an uncomfortable feeling when one feels it. Add the fact that physical exhaustion is also a factor, amidst having a high number of stats is also one thing to consider.

Yet, this frail girl who's body is I think, probably just half of my weight had been here in this dungeon for approximately all day long, without sleep, rest and food has managed to survive. What kind of torture was she subjecting herself to?

"...Are you insane or do you just want to die that badly?" Were the words that escaped my lips as I continued to cradle her body, her breathing obviously showing how much fatigue and exhaustion she was feeling. "Come one, I'll just forget about this incident if you come with us to the Safe Zone. We have food, and you can get rest there." I added, looking straight back into her eyes.

After I was greeted with a light nod, I stood up, carrying her, princess style, and started to walk towards where Nineball was, which will eventually lead to the Safe Zone.

"H-hey! I-I can walk!" The girl protested as she squirmed in my arms, her face flushed red.

"Congratulations. Your parents must be so proud. Seriously calm down, I have no ulterior motives. I'm doing this so that we can save time by you getting to rest up as we traverse the way to the Safe Zone. And don't worry about us getting attacked anymore as I have my teammate Nineball to scout ahead." I said with conviction after confirming Nineball's cursor on the Mini-Map moving ahead of me, myself glad that she was able to catch on to my rhythm.

"Hauu..." The girl calmed down, throwing a silent sigh.

"Did you just howl at me?" Surprised, I squinted my eyes and slightly glanced downwards.

"What?! No!" She retorted, face now beet red.

"Then stop doing sound effects with your voice. Creepy as shit and it isn't cute despite all those Japanese Cartoons keep saying." Closing my eyes and holding my laughter, I proceeded walking.

* * *

"Duuuuuuuuuuuuude! I didn't knew that you leveled your [Fishing] Skill secretly! What the fuck?!" We were greeted by Thornforge's loud bellow as soon as we arrived about ten or so minutes later at the Safe Zone, his eyes wide in shock, most likely from the fact that my HP Bar was almost around halfway, and that I was cradling a girl, in my arms. Which is considered to be a Holy Grail amongst a vast majority of gamers around the entire world, may it be 2D or 3D. "No, seriously, what took you guys forever?" He added, freeing up some space for the three of us to sit down.

"Meh, got ambushed by some stronger Kobolds that we didn't even knew prowled these sections..." Nineball trailed off as she flicked her fingers to open up her Inventory Window up, selecting some sort of Bread which landed in her hands. "Well, thanks to that... Whoever that thing is, I was able to get my act together because Storm is too dumb to get caught in another ambush by himself." She continued as she started chomping down on her meal.

After letting the mysterious girl down, I sat myself by the corner of the Safe Zone and did the same, my Bread being the cheapest and worst tasting one available at one of the NPC shops back in the Town of Beginnings, making sure I still get the energy that I need from it while being able to stay frugal, Crystals and Equipments take prudence in my budget after all. As soon as the girl sat down as well, she pulled her hood back up, concealing her above average features away from us. I then manipulated my Inventory once again, obtaining another one of those cheap bread before tossing it to her.

"I know it doesn't fare that well but, eat up. You'll need it." I spoke towards our guest, making sure she hears me, before facing my teammates. "Well, yeah. We got ambushed because I got a little bit complacent, but still. I wasn't expecting that variation of the Kobold to come hunting in packs of ten or so. But thankfully, I... I mean, 'we' pulled through. I have to give credit to..."

I squinted my eyes, focusing on the green bar just above the cloaked girl's head.

"...To A-su-na here, who came just in time to help. Though, I know I can still handle it, I know how to appreciate efforts too." I slowly pronounced the letters that I could barely read which was over her HP bar.

"Eeehhh... It was her that basically drew the Kobold's attention for a split second so I could perform my Charge Attacks as well so I guess she earns my thanks too~" Nineball added in between her mouthful chomps, speaking while her mouth was full, in an unlady-like yet cute way, given her 'loli' stature.

Thornforge, who was sitting smack dab in the middle of us, chewing on some meat-like food, and Akira, who's back was leaning on the far wall, who was filling his share of bread all looked at the same time at the cloaked figure, who was by now, on her second loaf, which of course, came from me. Her left hand held her share of water whilst her right continued to ferociously devour the piece of loaf. I swear, these girls eat viciously, if only you could see.

"It's... Asuna. Asuna." She said in between her munches, confirming the correct pronunciation, her small lips still holding the grace they have.

"So, you're saying that, you saved these pathetic nabs?" Inquired Thornforge as soon as he downed the last mouthful of his meal while leering his head closer to the girl which made her back away a little bit. "Eehh. I apologize, I didn't meant to scare you but, thanks for looking out for my foolish mates Hahahaha!" He laughed wholeheartedly as he straightened his legs and arms.

"I know right, yeah, my fault, my bad. But meh. She has her faults too you know? She grinded here all day and all night long, ignoring sleep and eating which made her collapse right in front of me. I swear my heart almost rocket jumped out of my chest when her legs started buckling." I protested right after I took a bite of bread, with crumbs flying all over. "Anyways, why are you doing this anyway? I mean, yeah, it's quite important to raise your Level and other parameters but, that's just too risky, I mean, it won't matter even if you top the Level cap if you wind up dead after all, right?"

I earned the earnest nod of my teammates, but not from the girl called Asuna.

"I... I don't know..." She spoke softly as soon as she finished her share and wiping the crumbs off her face. "...For the past month, I've been sulking back in the Town of Beginnings, unable to properly act, or even let it all sink in, with this whole game of death thing..." Asuna continued while she sat with her arms laid on her lap, a trademark sitting position of the Japanese people. "But I soon realized, that as the days drag by, I was loosing myself, my real self, and I started doubting myself if I could even go back to the other side... And it all came crashing down on me, what if I couldn't go back anymore? What if this would be my reality forever? What if..-"

"-That's one of the main reason why we are recklessly raising our numbers as well. We refuse to accept this reality, no. We will not succumb to that idiot Kayaba's notions or delusions of grandeur, we refuse to submit to his will that's why we are fighting, we will bring an end to this nightmare, for all of us." I cut off Asuna's words as I delivered my monologue, making sure she gets my point. "So there's no need to push yourself past your limits. Just make sure you're still alive until the day we all attain freedom." I added, smiling warmly towards her, noticing how her eyes widened at my speech.

"Hahahahaha. You damn womanizer. Stop alluring her with your words! You still have a job of looking for IronMaiden here in this world, or on the otherside, don't forget!" This time, it was Akira who started teasing me, followed by the team's loud laughter.

"Well man, don't worry. I know it's been almost a month, and we haven't bumped into her at all but hey, think about the vast expanse of this game, if she did ever logged on, she might be using a different handle or something, and I know for sure that we will bump into her sooner or later, that is, if she has indeed logged in." Thornforge placed his right arm over my shoulder, in an attempt to console me. "But who knows, maybe she's the one worrying over you if ever she isn't here, right? So we gotta do whatever we can to finish this as quickly as possible."

"Yeah, I know." Came my short reply as I didn't really wanted to think about it, for now at least, because that's the least of my problems, and it just serves as my motivation to strive harder and exceed past my limits as well. "But it just looks good on paper, we haven't even opened the First Floor's Boss Doors, what more about the higher ones?" I said, making the other's shoulders sulk in defeat.

Well, true. I am pretty confident that we could best out majority of the mobs around here, but since there's this feeling of fear towards the wall that we call "Boss Fights", no one, not even the general populace has ever touched the subject of actually beating it, not even us. The reaction from my buddies signifies the embodiment of that fear in reality. After all, no one wants to die, bottomline.

"...If you're pretty serious about it, as far as I know, there will be some sort of 'meeting' hosted by various people who are as serious as you in getting this over and done with. I suggest that you go meet them later this afternoon, at the Plaza juncture back in the Town of Tolbana." Asuna said in a calm voice, as if she would be participating in it as well. But hey, if you ask me, I have to admit that from the level of swordplay she displayed earlier, that chain of piercing Linear shots she unleashed was something else, as if it was honed over and over and over, up to perfection. "So are you guys up for it?" She asked as she stood up, dusting her cloak as she did.

Hearing those words, I sensed competition, and in that instance, the tips of my ears felt hot as I could feel that certain encroaching feeling of rivalry and such. I glanced around, back to my teammates, and they all had the same look on their faces, the look that I always wanted them to have, the lust to exceed their limits. With a smirk that made my lips curl upwards, I glanced back to Asuna, who now had her back turned against us, the thin rapier she had as a weapon hung freely by her waist as her red cloak fluttered.

"A meeting? Hahaha. Let's see, but I'll let you know that this Boss is ours." I said with conviction to Asuna.

* * *

"Hnnngggg..." Nineball wheezed as she stretched her arms wide over her head, the late afternoon sun embracing her petite form gently, which is a real sight to behold. "Damn, and I wanted to get a nice rest, along with a bath since that place stinks like hell." She complained as she skipped ahead of us, more than eager to get this whole 'meeting' deal over and done with.

I promise, this is one loli you don't want to cross paths with.

Anyways, we said we'd attend the meeting but, in no way we would ever agree working with other people, as they will only hamper our team's structure, besides, we wanted to maximize the Experience gain as much as possible, and we don't want any outsiders if we can help it. Add the fact that there's a huge possibility that Rare Items will get dropped, and since it's a Rare Item, the System balances things by letting ALL the Boss Raid participants roll a die to possibly get the highest value possible in order to get it. And since, we are greedy, we want the X number of people rolling to be as few as possible, so the chances of our team getting it would be next to 100%.

What are we aiming to do then? Crush their faux determination. Usurp the balance of power and tilt it towards our faction. Gain the better side of things through an iron hand. That's what we do best. Yeah sure, label as us assholes, but that's the best way to rise to the top of games like this: Take matters into your own two hands. Manipulate society, grasp the general populace, censor the media or any form of mass communication, and control the economy. Proven and tested.

The four of us wore casual robes and such to make us blend in, and to lessen the attention focus as we intend to just snoop around in the first phases before barging in and crashing the party. We walked haughtily along the paved roads, brushing past against normal citizens who just lives like normal people every passing day, against those generic 'adventurers' as we call them, people who goes out in the field, fights, gains Level, but at a slow, creeping pace, and people who just hunts enough for them to get by their everyday necessities. And lastly, those so called 'Beta Testers". I myself am one, which is why I know how to spot them. Amongst the original 10,000 residents of Aincrad, around 1000 or 10% of them were people who actually got to experience this realm before everybody else, and basically they are the ones who first plundered the riches that the first floor has, leaving almost next to nothing for the people who just logged in.

Walking alone, eyes casted downwards, brandishes above average items not really on par with the current Frontline, and in most cases, being shunned by the people around him. Well, main reason why I am with my team is to hide the fact that I am a Beta Tester. I can't deny the fact that my Level and Equipment is almost the best that the current floor can offer but, I obtained it not through blitzing through Treasure Chests and stuff, but rather from repeatedly grinding, spending countless hours honing my skills, forging my gears and earning whatever I have in my treasury. It's all through hardwork, but of course, I also cannot hide the fact that I used the extensive knowledge I acquired during the Beta Stages to be able to gain access to better leveling spots, know which monsters drop which and those stuff, along with the fact that I kept the info amongst my peers adds to it.

"Are you sure about this, Storm?" Thornforge tapped me by the shoulder as the two of us walked behind Akira and Nineball. "Well, I mean, we can just go ahead and engage the boss ourselves so I don't get your point..." He asked, his green eyes directed towards me. I could never get used to his original face, I mean, I have gotten used to the burly bear of a man physique that it pretty much stuck on to me, so I had a hard time looking back.

"With the meeting?" I answered back, slackening my pace a little bit upon seeing the place where the meeting would be held. "Yeah I am. What's wrong with checking it out? Who knows how it'll go, maybe we can even hitch in on what's been cooking lately or something."

We arrived at the edge of the amphitheater like part of the plaza, with the center stage being below ground level and the bleachers looked like they were a flight of stairs dug into the earth. Nineball and Akira sat around two steps deep, in one sweeping glance, I saw around thirty five to forty Players gathered in various groups of three to five teams, while a couple of them sat in solitude, just like how I saw a familiar red cloaked figure on the far end of the other side.

"Well, I suppose so... But try to keep it down, we don't want to catch too much attention that is..." Said Thornforge as he himself sat down, crossing his arms as he did.

"Can't promise." I replied, sitting down above Akira and Nineball, beside Thornforge.

I was about to add a couple more words but my eyes registered a blue haired swordsman who's equipment was composed of above average stuff, given the stretch of frontline we have, take center stage, his hands planted on his waist as he did, while a warm smile was plastered on to his face. I can't damn believe that he was able to acquire a blue colored dye to change the color of his hair, because let's face it, no one in this world has real, flowing blue hair. The crowd of players turned silent as he coughed a couple of times, placing one fist over his mouth as he did.

"Welcome everyone, I sincerely thank each and everyone of you for gracing this little proposal I have put up to all of you, really thank you." The swordsman bowed deeply, his long forelock tumbled down as he did. "Oh yeah, please allow me to introduce myself, I go by the name "Diabel", and my profession is "Knight"!" He proudly declared as he thumped his fist on his armor clad chest, producing a low clanging sound.

44 people, if my eyes didn't deceive me. 44 people, including the four of us, who just came in. 40 other people who wore their... Rather modest and substantial gears which were either Common monster drops, NPC sold and even those cheap player-made ones, all sat down and looked up the raised platform towards the more decently geared blue-haired swordsman, but as soon as he loosed his last choice of words, the crowd burst into laughter.

"Did 'ya call yourself a "Knight", lad? Or did you wanted to say "Hero"? Hahahaha!" Jeered one of the large-built man who was sitting closer to the stage, a large, most likely two-handed broadsword slung to his back which gave off a faint shine.

For Sword Art Online, the job classes does not exist in the System. Each player was given a number of Skill Slots, and could freely select from different skills and set them for training. For example, people with manufacturing or trade type skills as their main could be called a Smith, Seamstress, Cook, or other such job titles however, I have limited knowledge about the Knight and Hero classes, having not heard of them before.

But, no matter what kind of class a person calls himself, it was his own freedom. Saying so, the man named Diabel was wearing bronze armor on chest, shoulders, arms and shins, with a large longsword on his left waist, and a kite shield on his back. You could say that was the right kind of equipment for a Knight.

That gallant appearance... While I stared at him from the back of the crowd, I searched through the index in my brain. His equipment and hair style was different so it was hard to connect, but this one month I remember seeing him many times in the front line villages and towns. And then, how about before that the Another Aincrad, how about there. At least, I don't remember hearing his name before...

"So well. About the reason why I gathered such a collection of Aincrad's *cough* finest warriors is... I think you all know about it." As Diabel's speech continued, I blocked my thoughts out and just listened closely to what he has to say, after all, he did put up a fine effort of gathering this number of troops so I have to at least give credit to him. "Today, I do believe that a certain party has completely mapped out the First Floor of that tower, as someone have already sold and made profit from it." He continued, frowning as he did.

And I believe that that 'party' was ours, and that 'someone' who have 'sold' the Map Data was of course, none other than our local gold digger, Nineball. I could see her malicious smirk from where I am sitting, really. A curious 'oohh' could be heard from the crowd which quickly dissipated as Diabel waved his hands to them, signaling that he has more to say. All of us kept silent to listen in.

"...That is to say, that tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow at the latest, we will reach it, the First Floor's boss room!" He flailed his hands about, causing a huge uproar from the I guess, sick and tired bunch of people who were still trapped here in the Town of Tolbana, west of the Starting City, Town of Beginnings. "One month. Coming only this far out in one month, it definitely shames people like me who were so eager to complete all of this and go home but, today we have to set an example, and lay a foundation for the future of everybody else! We have to kill the Boss and start our ascent!" His eyes expressed a fierce and unyielding determination, a genuine one that is.

Again, cheers. This time, there were people clapping who were not Diabel's friends. Actually what was being said was honorable and nothing was hidden. No, it's strange to even think about anything hidden in those words. Right now, I should be like the once-divided players on the front lines and buy the Knight's story, giving him applause

"Hold your horses, Knight-san." A voice beamed from somewhere in the middle, and a not-so-tall guy wearing a standard leather armor set, with an ordinary one-handed sword sheathed beside his waist and a cactus-like hairstyle on his head. "Before that, there is one thing that must be cleared out, or else, I refuse to join this raid." He protested ss he took center stage, just beside Diabel. I could here a faint whistle escape my lips as I crossed my arms in curiosity.

Interupted, Diabel couldn't help but bat an eyebrow at the sudden intrusion. "Opinions are most certainly welcome, but if you've got something to say, starting with your name wouldn't be a bad idea, now is it?" He faced the guy, one hand in his waist.

Cactus guy held his chest out in pride before speaking. "I am Kibaou."

The cactus head swordsman who introduced himself with a somewhat daring character name looked at all the players in the plaza with his small but sharp, bright eyes. His horizontally moving look stopped for just an instant on my face—or I thought he did, before panning to where the red cloaked girl is, and stopped there for a moment as well before continuing. I didn't remember his name, nor where we could have met before. After taking plenty of time to look at everyone once, Kibaou eventually said in a threatening tone of voice.

"Mixed in with the crowd are... Five or six people who needs to apologize." He said with a low, grim voice, with his eyes almost brimming with anger for some unknown reason, his hands curled into a ball, and his already deep eyebrows further furrowed, almost meeting in his broad forehead.

"Apology? To whom?" Puzzled, the Knight Diabel tilted his head sidewards, and the crowd exchanged whispers here and there, obviously trying to figure out what he is saying.

"Lol, isn't it obvious? To the 2000 people who died in the past month. 'Those' guys who had complete monopoly over everything, from information, to resources, to knowledge, everything! They plundered everything and kept it from us, the regular folks so that they themselves could bask in the glory! And now that 2000 people have already died in JUST one month, who will answer to them?! Isn't that right huh?!" He was virtually screaming and puffing in anger, and if this was a more normal MMO game, I would've already burst out in laughter over the QQ-ing attitude this guy was displaying in front of everybody else, but since Sword Art Online isn't, I kept my calm.

Silence followed. An oppressive silence. No one dared to move nor speak, and only the town's BGM and the fading day's hustle and bustle could be heard as the 44 people gathered here all held their breath. No one said anything. Most likely, from being labeled as "one of those guys", such a fear would of course be there. No, not probably. At the very least, I was also gripped by that 'fear' up to some degree.

"—Kibaou-san, Your 'Those Guys' are... The original Beta Testers, right?" Diabel hit it in one go, dropping the bomb. He crossed his arms tightly and awaited for the cactus guy to give his confirmation, his stern look almost made the person in front of him cower, but he didn't.

"Obviously." Confirmed Kibaou as he himself crossed his arms, turned his face towards the crowd as he drew breath.

About 300 people. That was my estimate of the original beta tester deaths.

If that number was correct, that means, within the current death count of 2000, 1700 are new participants. As a percent, new player death rate was about 18%. On the other hand, original tester death rate was - close to 40%.

Prior knowledge and experience did not always mean safety. Conversely, they could be a trap. For me, who accepted a quest on the first day of the death game, I almost died. Also, there are external factors. In the Sword Art Online official service, the geography, monsters, and items are mostly the same as in the beta test, but once in a while, just a slight difference, like a small deadly poisonous needle...

"...And those guys should start right now!" Suddenly, he thrust his index finger forwards, catching everybody's surprised attention... And the tip... Pointed towards us.

40 heads turned towards our direction, and 40 pairs of eyes trained their gazes towards our avatars. At first, I myself could've freaked out or something, but I remained silent, firm and calm. My teammates did as well, they all just sat there, motionless. At the corner of my eye, I could see the red cloaked girl's surprised look, even if her face was half-hidden by her hood, and her lips were open which signifies her surprise.

"Oi, oi, Kibaou-san. It is impolite to point fingers. Besides, there's no way for us to confirm who's who, as that bastard Kayaba changed our avatar's faces the same way as we look in the real world, and I can pretty much say that people from the Beta Stage changed their Handle Names when they transferred over to the Official Server, and of course, there isn't any icons, marking or whatsoever that can clearly distinguish them from us so..." Diabel crossed his arms in disbelief, trying to invalidate Kibaou's claims as he tried to dispel the now loudly murmuring crowd he tried so best to tame earlier.

But Kibaou held his ground and his small eyes burned with anger as he continued to stare at us.

I looked at my teammates, but they still kept quiet, amidst this electrifying situation. But... I had this certain feeling that I should be the one to dispel it, since after all, I am the only person in the team who played on the Beta Test, and even though I only shared what I learned to them, it doesn't make them liable nor answerable to what Kibaou was accusing us of. Well, shit. I didn't even plundered too much of those stuff, and I grinded my way to where I am right now and I didn't took advantage over anything, so he wasn't completely right.

"Well?" Kibaou yelled at us, and the crowd was getting more and more impatient.

Would this be how things go? Will the people, who are all bound together by this death game be segregated like this? I refuse to accept. I refuse. I have so many things to do, and this is something that's not part of it. I will get all of my teammates home, and I will see Lynette once again, whether through hook or crook, I will.

The notion and urge of wanting to PK this fucking dwarf right here right now flared through my head, but I kept my composure. This is Sword Art Online, this is not 'just' another 'game'.

I slowly stood up, the fabric of my simple shirt crumpled from sitting down. My teammates remained neutral, but I can sense their concern towards my welfare. I gave off a "I will handle this" aura just before I stood straight.

"I do not owe any apology to anyone." I clearly stated with a gentle yet commanding voice, the very same voice who led my team to the ranks they have now. "I only utilized what I know from the Beta Stages to get me and my team's status higher than everybody else's and I don't find it to be in-lieu with regards to the other 2000 people's death. Whatever I have right now, I have earned it rightfully, so I don't think I carry the burden nor the sin of their deaths, besides, I am doing this for all of us to get home, nothing else. I have people depending on me, and I have someone who's waiting for my return." I added without any other undertones, delivering my message across to everyone who is around me.

I noticed Kibaou's stunned expression, most likely resulting from my unexpected acceptance of the label "Beta Tester" and the fact that I completely denied his argument. His brows furled upwards and his throat dried before he clamored his words out. "See? SEE?! He actually admits to cheating! There we have it my friends, I do not like working with murderers!" He blurted out, his irises dilated and one could even see veins popping in his avatar's neck.

"So does that mean you don't like us to participate in the Boss Raid?" I asked him bluntly, getting straight to the point and driving it home real hard.

One cannot simply deny the fact that amidst us 'cheating' in other's eyes by knowing all the important stuff beforehand, is that we are the ones who have the highest Base Level, the best Equipment and the most advanced Sword Skills amongst the remaining 8000 Players, and this person is denying our presence in the upcoming Boss Fight, which is, full of bull crap.

"W-well, calm down people..." Diabel butted in, trying to diffuse the situation but it was all in vain, Kibaou had already advanced and his figure jumped down from the stage and his large hands covered in bronze gauntlets drew out his rather large one-handed sword.

"I challenge you to a duel! I will show these people that strength and numbers alone does not merit excellency in this game!" He screamed towards me, which actually surprised me.

No, I wasn't amazed by his bravado. I am amazed by his...

"Pathetic." I whispered. "...That pathetic skill level of yours will never match up to mine, no, not in 100 years. It's futile, Kibaou, you will not win, so let's not waste our time." I said, making his sweat drip from his forehead, and catching everybody else's attention.

"May I speak?" But just before the situation escalated to the next level, a rich yet forceful tone resonated in the evening Plaza. The increasing blood flow in my head dissipated and I returned to my previous calm demeanor. From the left side of the crowd, a silhouette moved. Huge. His height would easily shoot up 180cm., probably. An avatar's size is said not to have any other advantages except of course, he can reach higher than others, but the large, two-handed axe slung over his back all seemed too lightweight for him.

His appearance too, was impressive and did not lose to his weapon. A skin-bald head and chocolate brown skin, However, the chiseled and slightly bearded face was so fitting you might think it was customized. Not Japanese... Instead of saying that, maybe he was not even human. The muscular giant walked directly towards Kibaou and...

"My name is Agil. Kibaou-san, so what you wanted to say is that many beginners died because the original Beta Testers did not take care of them, and you want them to basically take responsibility for that, isn't that right?" He calmly said towards Kibaou as his large hands actually guided Kibaou's blade downwards.

"That's right! If not for those damn Beta Testers keeping all the riches to themselves, we could have already outfitted an army of people to tackle the Boss and we could've already gotten into the second or maybe even the third floors!" Shouted Kibaou in frustration, his hands gripping the handle of his blade real tight.

"You are forgetting something." I slid my own argument. "Even if you outfit a bunch of new people, who know zilch about this game, it's the same as giving a huge sword to a mere kid, and hoping he could do some aerial acrobatics with it. Let's all face it, even Beta Testers like me are afraid of dying, and we all want to get out of this shit real quick." I added, earning a majority of nods from the crowd.

"Besides, there is information." Agil's mature voice rang again as he fished out a little brown booklet from his Inventory Tab. "This is a guide made from the collective efforts of all known Beta Testers at this point, which actually contains info on normal mobs, their enhanced counterparts, places where rare drops are pretty much abundant, up to the very Boss of the first floor, who is named "Illfang the Kobold Lord", everything's here, from it's physical description, move set, patterns, it's armaments, summons, and even what it drops. Everything's here, and this is made available for FREE to everyone." He then stretched out his hand, handing the brown booklet over to Kibaou.

The two-handed axe user Agil possessed a very imposing attitude, and his argument was also extremely blunt, such that Kibaou could only stand in the shadows in silence. If anyone else other than Agil claimed the same thing, then Kibaou would probably counter with 'Saying that means you are a original beta tester', I think. But, right now, all he could do was glare at the giant in hatred.

Behind the two confronting each other in silence, Diabel, still standing on the fountain's edge, his long hair dyed purple from the evening sun, waved as he nodded once more.

"Kibaou-san, I can understand your point. I too went into unknown fields, and finally arrived here after many near deaths. But, like this Agil-san said, isn't it time to look forward right now? Even original beta testers... No, especially original testers, we need their fighting strength for this boss strategy. If we remove them, and that resulted in the attack failing, what would be the point?"

This truly was a self proclaimed Knight, I remembered; he too had given a refreshing speech. Many in the audience deeply nodded. I felt the atmosphere change from 'Convicting original testers,' and I involuntarily breathed out a sigh of relief. I realized it was shameful of me, but then listened to Diabel's continuing speech.

"Everyone, you each have what your own preferences, but right now I would like you to work together to break through the first floor. If there are people who will not fight with original testers no matter what, then it is unfortunate, but you are free to leave. For a boss fight, teamwork is the most important." The Knight's look swept through everyone, and finally stopped at Kibaou. The cactus head swordsman made a huge snort then spit out words.

"...Fine, I will listen to you for now. But, after the boss fight is finished, I want it to be clear black and white." With his scale mail clinking, Kibaou retreated from the group's front. The axe user Agil too, spread his arms showing that he had nothing more to say, and returned to where he was before.

With the disperse of tension, my group slowly rose up from their silence, their faces smiling as they did. "Hey, nice going. I actually thought you were going to PK that guy already..." Akira nudged me by the sides, obviously relieved from all those events. "Anyways, thanks for standing up for us man, I mean, it might cause your further isolation from everybody else but... Don't worry, we're always here hehe." He warmly added.

The four of us descended further down, to join the tactical meeting that was about to begin, the first ever Boss Raid meeting that Aincrad will see.

As I threaded my steps, my throat constricted and sweat started to drip down. Will I be able to lead these men to victory? Will I be able to protect them with utmost pretense? Will I be able to vanquish the shadows in my heart that's clouding my judgment? Will I have a reason to fight? Or will this just be another 'task' for me to complete mindlessly?

I wondered about all those things as I watched the three of them walk infront of me, thinking about the only reason why I haven't lost my sanity.

Lynette.

But one thing's for sure.

Whatever pain may come, I will fear no reproach.

* * *

A/N: So there you guys have it, it's the 2nd installment of "On Infinity's Edge". I hope you guys find it fun to actually include OCs around the main storyline and make it seem as if they are really part of the cast. I sincerely thank everyone who has gone through my stories, thumbs up to you guys, and of course, to the people who posted reviews, I also would like to credit y'all guys.

Anyways, let me answer one inquiry sent as a review. Why did I include generic MMO idiots? Well, SAO is an MMO after all, and if you read the story's summary, I clearly indicated that the main cast of OCs are a bunch of MMO vets that have tried SAO and got trapped in it. Now, they are just doing what they know is the best, and that is to storm through the game.

So yeah. Please look forward to the next chapter! We get to kick Illfang's ass pretty bad over there :D

Greetz, Seiji

PS: Chapter title taken from a Chapter Title in the game Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together (PSP Port) and a few elements from the LN was taken too, to preserve canon. Pardon me.


	3. Chapter 3 Relentless Providence

**Chapter 3 - Relentless Providence**

* * *

The once livid colors of the world around me suddenly corroded, the lush green fields turned into a murky, dark obsidian floor covered in blood, the pillars that hold up this... Dome-shaped enclosure seemed as if they were alive, as they were wrapped in vein-like thingamajigs which were pulsating like every second, and a heavy, putrid smell hung around the vicinity, as if this entire area was soaked in blood.

I held out my hand, thrusted them in front of me, I saw an unusual sight, gone were my iron bracers, and in it's place, a dark colored, peculiarly shaped black colored heavy gauntlets, and they were dyed red, red from...

"What the fuck..." Were the words that escaped from my pursed lips, as I couldn't believe what dyed my hands...

It was blood. Red, viscous, iron-smelling blood. I twisted my fingers, confirming the horrible sight as my mind scurried for any clues, because as far as I know, blood isn't supposed to exist in Sword Art Online, in lieu with it being rated as Teen, gore was minimized. My eyes began scanning the immediate area, and as they grew more accustomed to the dark demeanor, I could feel my irises dilating as they landed on the mass of... Bodies... Lying just a few meters away from me, and a silhouette with it's back against me.

Although my knees were growing weaker by the second, I fixated my resolve and started slowly walking towards the silhouette.

"H-hey..." I Called out, my voice weak and almost broken. "Wh-what...?!" The words were lodged in my throat which actually used up effort to cough up as soon as the silhouette started to lighten up a little bit, revealing an image I have always seen, and will forever be burned into my memory.

The black apple-cut hair that crowned her head which was held by her lithe shoulders, a set of gray-colored half mail reminiscent of the one she was using in the last MMO we were playing covered her from the collarbone down to her chest area, while a blue colored scale mail was under it. A side skirt made of the same material, covers the sides of her waist while a blue colored skirt-like garment draped her thighs. A pair of greaves and gauntlets adorn her limbs and her left hand holds a large read and black kite shield, while her right holds a flail-type weapon, the spiked protrusion dangling in mid-air.

"We... We finally did it, Stormgrace. We finally did it..." The low murmur that came from her sounded really faint, yet the aura of joy permeated it. "...We finally cleared Sword Art Online... Just you... And me... We did it..." She added as she slowly turned around, facing me.

"...L... Ly-Lynette..." I replied sheepishly as I held out my hands while I moved closer to her. "Lynette... Wh-what... Whah happened... You... You're here after all..." I heaved a sigh as I reached her, my hands touching the pale colored cheeks of her, not minding even if the blood on my hands stained the pure white skin she has, my doubts laid to rest even if...

Wait a second. What the hell happened anyway? The sudden thought ran through my head like a flash as my own instincts kicked in after the intense feeling of gratification I felt just after seeing her. As my arms wrapped around her, I scanned the surroundings, my senses telling me that something was amiss... And then...

"No, seriously..." In my surprise, I ended up pushing her away, her eyes registering a sudden shock from my action. "...Wait, wait. What the fuck...What the fuck..." I grasped my head, looking intensely at the pile of bodies lying just a couple of meters away from us. My eyes started to strain as I saw their... Rather familiar faces... "Thornforge... Akira... N-nineball... Everyone... What... What in the world..." I rushed over to their side, screaming as I did, totally forgetting that Lynette was standing near me.

Their bodies were bruised and bloody, crushed in some areas, it was like they were trampled or bludgeoned by something, I don't know. I kept screaming their names at the top of my lungs, hoping that they weren't dead or something, after all, in Sword Art Online, if one dies, their avatars, or their 'bodies' so to say, turn into blue particles, which leaves nothing behind yet these...

"Stormgrace... What are you doing?" Lynette said, the tone behind her words seem cold and violent, something that I never ever felt coming from her, as she is usually gentle and caring. "...You were the one who killed them, weren't you? Why are you griping over it right now? Their deaths are necessary for us to advance and finish this game, and now thanks to them..." She added, the sharp glances that her eyes gave off were like shards of glass that pierced my skin.

"Huh? Me? Killed them? What in the hell? Wait, why are their avatars still here even if I did? It doesn't make sense, Lynette, it doesn't. Please explain." I kept my back against her as I cradled Nineball's head on to my lap, her face still looks the same, except for her bloody nose and broken lips, which looks really pitiful if you ask me since she has a younger and cute looking face which shouldn't ever be ravaged like this.

A few seconds ticked by while silence hung in the air. An uneasy, heavy feeling draped over me as I continue to mope over the ground where my teammates are, refusing to believe and give in that they are already 'dead' as Lynette said so.

"Hey, wait, Ly..." At the sudden realization that this isn't even possible and all of this shouldn't even happening, I called out to her as I quickly craned my head back, trying to check on her but the loud thunder of greaves and iron soles rampaged, breaking the silence. "Wh-whaaa..."

***THUD***

"What are you doing Ly?!" I blurted out as she swung her flail against me, catching me in surprise, I was still able to pick up and raise my shield, which was slung to my back, it's the same color as my gauntlets, black, but not to a point where it is in an effective stance, resulting in me taking a bigger HP chip. What in the... Her eyes seemed to have changed in color of something, something red, and her expression became a twisted mirage of conflicting emotions, and her roaring yet silent lips tops it off as she spun her flail once more.

"Ly what are... Hrrgghh!" I blocked another heavy blow, the sheer weight of her weapon clanging heavily against the surface of my shield, the rending force of the impact being felt by my arm which caused my HP to drop by a little bit. My lips curled into a frown as her reaction didn't changed and got worse as she raised her flail once more. "No... Ly! Stahp! Stahp!" I screamed as she attacked me again, sending the crushing cudgel thundering down against my shield, this time, with such force that my arm buckled under the added weight, causing my defenses to crumble.

I was literally kneeling in front of her as she stood over me. "Lynette... Wh-why? What the hell..." I was totally confused, my head was spinning up high in the clouds as I searched for answers. I started to slowly recover, raising my head to have a good look...

Time slowed down as my eyes registered the black aura that surrounded her flail as it careened downwards, leaving trails of black light as it sought my body.

"..."

"HOOOOOOLLYYYYYYY SHIIIIIIIT." I suddenly shot back, springing up from the bed I was lying on, sweat flying all over as my head whipped up such force that blood almost drained from it. My eyeballs strained as I forced them to recognize the reality which is before me and my heart was thumping like a mad dog inside my chest, I could feel it, even though it was just a notion. "What the hell was that..." I murmured softly as I swallowed dry, my gaze catching the other guys; Thornforge and Akira sleeping like rocks on their beds opposite of mine.

I also glanced outside the Inn's windows, the white curtain blowing gently with the evening breeze. It was still night time. "A dream... Huh..." I concluded as I calmed myself down, still holding my head by the sides to shake away the fearful scenario that was played by my head while actually wondering how the hell I could dream WHILE inside Sword Art Online. It was pretty creepy that I could shit on my pants right now.

For a few minutes, I just sat there, trying to relive how soothing it was to see Lynette's face once more, even if it didn't ended in a good way, but I guess that's just how dreams roll, and I don't have control over it. I was also constantly thinking about what if that was bound to happen someday, sort of like a deja vu? As my mind ran in circles, I wanted to get some fresh air so I stood up, opened my Inventory tab and equipped my armor set.

As I quietly walked past my sleeping comrades and as I was about to close the door, I glanced back to them. "Glad you guys are still breathing." I whispered.

* * *

The cold winds gently brushed past my cheeks as I slowly walked the plains just outside of the town aptly named Tolbana, which is just west of the Town of Beginnings, the lumina provided by the moon and the stars just enough for players without the Scan skill be able to still see the terrain and the non-aggressive monsters that lurk in the field, while making sure that the aggressive ones are easily spotted.

The blank state of my mind started to be filled with tons and tons of questions as I continued to walk, heading towards the huge black iron tower called "Aincrad", my feet telling me to go further.

What was that dream about anyway? Was it supposed to tell me something or was it just another fragment of my fleeting imagination, or is it just me and my loneliness? I heaved a sigh from all those stuff I saw, it was... Heart rending at the most. But I don't know, there's this... Certain feeling that's been creeping at the edges of my sanity that... The notion of doing anything, up to that extent, just to see Lynette... Is something that I can do, if given a chance. It is a scary feeling, specially with the situation we are in, where death is only a matter of a fatal slip-up.

Silently pondering as I delved deeper and deeper into the labyrinth, I totally lost all sense of direction as I came across an unfamiliar part of the map, thankfully, the whole area was already mapped so I didn't had any troubles navigating through known creep camps. But somehow, I felt that I wasn't alone so I drew my weapons, my only companions besides my team, the items that protect me, and the items that vanquish my foe.

"Haaaah!" The sharp sounds of metal clashing against metal rang in his ears, coming from the distance, and yellow sparks started to fly off as he witnessed the fluid execution of one Sword Skill chained into another, a perfect example of precision and proper timing which almost took his entire attention.

The black haired swordsman danced in such a way that his moves transitions smoothly to the next one, the thin One Handed sword he is swinging around wasn't particularly a Rare Monster Drop or something, and Storm could pretty much tell that it's just some common NPC sold weapon, or probably even his starting equipment, but the way he brandishes it was just, on a totally different level that what he usually see from others, who were more or less just brutally hacking and or slashing around.

Stormgrace slowly made his way towards the swordsman, making his steps lighter, in order not to catch the aggro of the small Kobold Soldiers he was fighting, noticing how he juggles easily between the trio of Kobolds, dealing damage to all of them whilst not getting hit himself.

"Haaaah! Rage Spike!" The swordsman drew bead, aligning his sword perpendicularly with his body, tip aimed towards the trio of Kobolds who were stuck in their after-move delays. Just a mere second after, the green flame-like aura that flared from his sword was shot, the blade was thrust in a straight line, piercing through three Kobolds in just one go, their bodies shattering into blue pixels, returning them to their original form, which is data.

"Hey, nice going man. That was some nice sword play you got there." Stormgrace finally walked into the lighted area, sharing the limelight with the swordsman who now has his blade sheathed. Squinting his eyes and making it attune from the lighter surroundings, he recognized the face under the black forelocks which waved freely against his face, it was the same swordsman who was sitting together with Asuna earlier this afternoon. "Oh, if it isn't the swordsman-kun who was with Asuna earlier. How interesting." He said as he stood next to the skinny looking kid whom he thinks is about a year younger than him.

"Y-yes?" The swordsman who flawlessly butchered three Kobolds in succession answered, his low, shy voice was in contrast with this earlier performance. "...Uhh... So it means you're also part of the raid team... Mister..." He added as he held out his right hand.

"Lol don't add 'mister', we're almost the same age after all." I then reached out to his greeting, extending my own right hand to shake his. "The nickname's Lee- I mean, Storm. Stormgrace."

"Pleased to meet you, Stormgrace-san. I am Kirito, a soloist." He continued, his voice going lower at the 'soloist' part. "Uhh yeah.. So you also know... Asuna-san..." He quickly drifted away from the issue, placing one hand on his waist, scanning the immediate area for additional monster perhaps.

"Ehh, yeah. I do, but it's such a pathetic story how we met..." I casually replied while I drew my mace and shield out of their holsters. "...Which is something I'd like to share to you if not for these annoying critters..." I directed the mace's blunt edge towards the corner pillar, with several shadows moving back and forth, which I'm pretty sure are more monsters.

Kirito just nodded as he once again drew his sword, and upon closer inspection, it wasn't so bad as I initially thought. It was well, a monster drop after all, and albeit it's simple structure, is actually a rare drop from the sword wielding Kobold Guards add the fact that from the way the blade itself manifested and gleamed, it was probably upgraded several times, increasing it's overall performance.

"Rrrraaaaarrrrrggghhh!" The sound of maddened Kobolds who were disturbed in the middle of the night echoed throughout the most likely empty labyrinth, the noisy footwork hailed from their mindless rush adding in the frenzy as they drew their rather crude looking weapons, an assortment of clubs, maces and hammers, blindly charging towards the obviously higher-than-usual leveled duo.

"I'd love to talk about it right now but..." I shot a quick glance towards Kirito as I whispered, before holding my shield up, covering the front of my avatar. "...It seems that'll have to wait until we've gained a few hundred Col!" Letting my feet carry me rather swiftly towards the charging Kobolds, I prepared my mace, arching my right arm backward while my left drew the shield up to receive the preemptive blows.

***CLANG***

I was welcomed by the ever-satisfying sound of metal being deflected as my trusty shield has once again served it's purpose. I then whipped the large piece of iron equipment to the side, brushing the Kobold off and sending him crashing into one of the pillars, it's body impacting into it with such force that it was inflicted with the Status Ailment Stun. I wasted no time, my right hand brandishing out my iron mace, it's solid cudgel was crude-looking yet fully furnished and polished by an NPC blacksmith. The pair of Kobolds who acted as the first's backup quickly reformed in front of me, their gnarling faces twisted with anger.

I blasted off again, releasing a short burst of sprint from the three or four meter distance between us, closing the gap pretty quickly. I stuck out my shoulder, the rather cumbersome and heavy iron armor's shoulder covering providing extra toughness to my physique. The Kobolds weren't able to react as this simple maneuver is in fact, a Sword Skill by it's own right, Tackle as it goes by name, which is part of the Unarmed Sword Skill Tree.

The force of the speed burst coupled with the brunt of my STR stat added to the overall damage calculation of the Tackle skill, the higher the numbers or course, results in more damage and a longer duration of stun, and the Kobolds, who were on the receiving end suffered the Status Effect. As a tank, I was tasked to catch the enemy's attention and take the front lines for myself in order to keep them at bay, away from the rest of the other classes which have little to zero defense, and one of the best accompaniment to my skills were Status Effect inducing attacks such as the Tackle and my various shield blows as they inflict Stun, Paralyze and Faint which causes further delays on the enemy's part, and it also adds to my own versatility if I were to do some solo hunting.

Although the skill I just unleashed did it's own pack of punch, I have to be honest, it was just a physical skill using my own body and it wasn't particularly that deadly, and is just used to inflict Stun so while they were bound by the effect, I brought my mace down on one of them, hitting the Kobold right smack in the right part of his face, the polygons twisting and turning as it struggled to reproduce the would-be facial structure of a Kobold who just got spanked. As it wasn't a Sword Skill but rather just a mere Normal Attack, I wasn't bound by my own AGI stat and I am easily able to chain another attack, which I did, this time lashing once again on his face which drained the rest of his HP's chunk, down to zero, which of course, made it's body shatter into fragments.

With a smirk, I turned towards the second Kobold, it's eyes registered the expression of being dominated and I could've sword it had the expression of fear painted in it's face but after all, it's just a monster, just bytes of data strings pieced together, and it's not as if they were real humans so I will not show any mercy, I will dominate all the adversary I face, and I will crush all the opposition or obstacle this game will throw at me, even if...

Even if...

The visions of the dream I had earlier suddenly flooded my mind, the relentless morbid scenario rushed into my vision, as if they were just fresh in my memory. The image of my bloody hands, the bodies of my comrades on the floor, and Lynette's...

Lynette's livid yet very different face provided me utmost comfort until she... She started assaulting me. I don't know on what grounds but, it... It just pains me and draws a big question mark on my head. It mixes with all those gruesome images of bloodbath that dream introduce.

I began feeling an extremely nauseating sensation, coupled with sharp, piercing pains in my temples, which wasn't even supposed to happen since I am not in the real world, and I am currently logged on to Sword Art Online under the influence of the Nerve Gear so I'm pretty sure this is not a normal occurrence. I loosed a loud grunt as my actions ceased in mid-combat, my avatar freezing up in a really dangerous situation.

***THUD* *THUMP***

As if they were waiting for this opportunity, the remaining Kobolds who have now recovered from being stunned, closed in on to me, I clearly saw them wielding their weapons high above their heads, poised to strike. A moment later, I could feel the numbing sensation that started spreading from my sides, while the HP bar on the upper left hand side dropped, indicating damage.

I could even hear some shouting coming from the other side, most likely it was the black haired swordsman called Kirito. He is probably engaging some of them as I was down here moping around, looking pathetically weak. What was I thinking anyway? It's just a dream after all, and it's far from reality. Heck, I'm not even in reality anyway so there's no point in worrying over that. It's just that...  
"You fools!" I bellowed, straightening myself and regaining my composure amidst the pain I was feeling. This is nothing, nothing compared to the pain of loneliness I was feeling, nothing in comparison to the pain of not knowing anything about the person you care the most about, the guilty feeling I feel each and every damn passing day. Mustering all the strength I can, I lifted my weapon, it was heavy, yes. It is the weight of responsibility that comes with standing up and challenging this death game, I lifted my shield, the broad surface a justification of the burden placed on myself by the people I want to protect.

The attacks didn't ceased, pain shot through my body but I never yielded. I never flinched. I stood my ground.

"Divine..." Despite suffering multitudes of attacks, my avatar's HP sustained minimal damages, thanks to the natural resistance I have plus the Defense Value of my armor. I gripped my mace with the head facing down, with it's body starting to faintly glow. "...Crusher!" I finished my chant, the glow intensified, signifying the System's recognition before I proceeded by slamming it with all my might downwards, sending it crashing into the ground, creating an explosive fervor which swallowed the Kobolds, the shock waves rocking their bodies which busted their remaining HP levels, bursting them into pixels.

The surroundings became quiet, the black haired swordsman was just standing in the distance, looking at me as he sheathed his slender sword, the look of concern painted on his face. I glanced down on myself, the multiple scratches on my armor were the only remnants of what just transpired. I dropped down my shield and mace, held out my hands in front of me and started to relieve the dream.

* * *

"Eh? The hell is with those black bags on your eyes? Did you just waste the Col we paid to be able to sleep in this Inn?" I was greeted by the ever loud mouth of Thornforge, right after I rose up from my bed. Actually, after we, me and Kirito fought our way out of the Kobold encampment last night, we both headed back home after cleaning out the labyrinth, gaining a bunch of extra Col before retiring for the night.

"Well I did, it's just that something really funny came up last night..." I replied back as I chewed on the rather bland tasting Clubhouse Sandwich the Inn offered as a bundle to a night's stay with them, well one cannot expect anything extravagant for something as cheap as 100 Col a night per person so I made do, can't fight on an empty stomach anyway. "...I'll let you in on it once we wipe the floor with the Boss later today."

"Meh, you just had another one of those... Boy's Dreams ain't you? Hahahahaha~" Laughing sheepishly was Nineball, who was stuffing herself with some of the finer looking (and maybe tasting) bacon with eggs at the table's edge, where we all sat down for breakfast.

"He's at that age anyway. Look at how young he is. I honestly thought that when we met back in our previous MMO, you were around 25 or something by the way you act and lead the guild to victory, but... Just... Look at your face, Storm, dang." This time, it was the team's Ninja (as we all labeled him) who spoke, Akira who was silently sipping his Green Tea just a while ago.

I lightly coughed at the notion of me being younger than the rest, while themselves didn't looked old to me as well. Regaining my composure, I waved them off so I can speak. "So, today we'll be tackling the very first boss of Aincrad, which is the lord of those pesky Kobolds, Illfang the Kobold Lord, and I believe you guys have gone through what he can do according to the manual as discussed yesterday, right?" I opened my Inventory Tab and fished out a rather plain looking brown covered booklet and opened it to reveal the precious information documented by fellow Beta Testers about the Boss.

"Yeah yeah. The dude's a 4-HP Bar long Boss type monster in the shape of a god damn dog-looking Kobold, phase one of the fight being from it's start, he'll be wielding his axe-like weapon along with a leather buckler, while phase two would be from the 2-HP bar mark down, where he will completely change his weapons to the "Talwar", and from there onwards, he'll be in some sort of 'berserk' status." Thornforge explained as he thumped his chest, proclaiming that he did in fact did his assignment. "Oh and, all throughout the fight, he'll be summoning around four to five Sentinel Kobolds, who are a notch higher than the strongest kobold variation outside of the Boss room." He added as he closed his own manual.

"And as discussed, our Team would be the Lead Team, we're going to tank the boss, then we're rotating with Team B for DPS and such while we get our Pot Rotate. And as far as I can se, we can even do the rotation for tanking and DPS inside our team too, given if Storm and Thorn doesn't take chunks of damage. We can also rest easy about the Sentinel Kobolds as the other teams can take care of it." Briefed Nineball as she wiped her mouth clean from the crumbs.

"Do we all have our proper gears and crystals, specially the Heal, Teleport and Cure ones?" I asked myself as I stood up from the table, checking my Inventory. "Make damn sure you aren't missing EVEN ONE of them as well as your equipment's Durability, I can't afford to loose any of you guys." I added, making sure my items and equipments were in top notch shape as well after I asked the NPC Blacksmith to repair it even before coming back from last night.

"All good here. Teehee." Nineball was the first one to respond, her slender fingers closing her Tabs as soon as she drafted some more Crystals into her Inventory as directed by me, since the two of them, she and Akira are DPS types hence, have lesser Armor Points which makes them more susceptible to damage.

"I'm cool." Nodded Akira after confirming his own stash, which was also followed by Thornforge's positive nod, confirming his too.

"Well, I guess we're all set, we better head over to the Plaza where everyone should be gathering, we should finish this one early so we can rush our levels in the second floor." I casually said as I started packing my stuff up, readying to leave the Inn, closely followed by the rest of the Team.

**ooo**

The large group of people walked silently along the ridges of the woods just outside of Tolbana, the warm noon sun embracing them as they trudged the distance from the town itself towards the tower. The chirping birds and the rustle of the forest seem to have a rather nice effect on Asuna, who was walking side by side with her party, the only one she has, the black haired swordsman, Kirito.

"Those guys, the one with the guy wearing the full iron armor, they seem to be the nicest bunch out of everybody else around here..." Remarked Kirito as he tried to loosen up his party mate's uneasiness.

"...Oh I see... So you also know those guys?" Asuna replied, her lips moving slowly under her usual red hood.

"Well, not all of them, but I do believe I met their 'leader'. He's a cool and strong guy, and I can see that he's a really tough one who just might be able to lead this battle to glory today..." Kirito answered back as he placed both of his hands, adorned by fingerless gloves into the back of his head as he chewed on a blade of grass which gave him an aura of being easy going.

"While you, you look nonchalant." Sharp hazel colored eyes shot from under the hood, surprising him.

"We have times to get serious, and we have times to relax. And, at times like this, we all want to lessen the pressure as much as we can, so as to enjoy how much we've reached so far before facing our adversary, the Boss of the 1st floor this time. I mean, what good will it do if you are serious 100% of the time right? This was originally a game we're supposed to enjoy in the first place after all." he spoke with his eyes closed, ignoring the frowning Asuna.

She then heaved a sigh, thinking that it was useless to try and sway the mysterious swordsman's opinions this easily, so she just scrambled a new topic to elevate the discussion, she's beginning to loosen up as well so she thought it was a good idea. "H-hey, you, before coming here, did you play other... M-MMO game? Is that what it's called?" She asked as the two of them walked a little bit farther from the rest of the pack, headed by Storm's group, their presence dominating the entire group.

Surprised, Kirito opened one eye to glance at Asuna. "Erm... Ah yes. Yes I did." The swordsman still looked quite timid as his black hair swayed up and down with the gentle breeze.

"In the game you previously played... Are there normally times like this were you feel as if... As if you're just participating in one huge trip or something?" Asuna continued.

"Well yeah. A couple of times, but pretty much like this, you know, when people party up to raid Boss Monsters, or a rather hard dungeon you know, when people start to get together, those feelings usually bubble up at some point, although, I haven't had that much experience with it because I..." Then as if he was hiding something, Kirito tilted his head sidewards, away from Asuna's eyes who were now fixated at him. "...I was always a 'soloist'."

"Hhmm..." Her eyes slanted in quite a hostile way as she tried to push him to say more, but in the end, Asuna decided not to further intrude on his "But how about those... 'Real' things? How do they feel?" She asked instead.

"Eh? Real things? What do you mean?" Puzzled, Kirito couldn't help but bat an eyebrow to her peculiar question. /SPACE/ "Like I said... This kind of fantasy world... Being in a group with swordsmen and magicians, on our way to fight the terrible chief of monsters. Along the way, what would we talk about... Or would they walk along silently? This kind of topic." Asuna blurted in response, curiosity filling in.

The swordsman remained oddly silent, and when she glanced at him looking like this, Asuna felt conscious that she had asked a childish question. Just as she reflexively turned away, and was about to say "I guess it doesn't matter"...

"Walking on the road leading either to death or glory, huh." Kirito silently murmured under his breath, the quiet words reached her right ear. "If we were compared to people living a normal life... probably, it would be like going to a restaurant for dinner. If there is something to talk about I will talk, otherwise I will keep quiet. I think this boss raid will eventually turn out like that. If possible, I hope we can challenge the boss daily."

The swordsman's straightforward words were funny to Asuna, who gave off a small laugh. She explained immediately, almost as an excuse. "I'm sorry for laughing, but... this is really strange. This world is an ultimate form of non-daily life, but you want this activity to be our daily routine, am I right?"

"Ha ha... I guess that's true." The swordsman laughed in the same way, then quietly said, "However, it took four weeks to reach this point. Even if we beat the boss today, we still have another ninety-nine floors to go. I'm... Prepared to go for two, no, three years like this. If it goes on like this, even this non-daily event would become daily." Those words would have caused great shock and despair to the old Asuna. But now, she realized that it was just like dry wind blowing out of her chest. "...How strong. If it were me, I can't think like that. Thinking about living in this world for years... Dying in today's battle would be less scary to me."

The swordsman glanced at her for a moment after listening to her, then put his hands in his gray jacket pocket, and said in a subdued voice, "If we can reach the higher floors, maybe we could sit down and have a meal, and I'll tell you how I met those amazing people." He then pointed towards Stormgrace's team, who were spearheading the group.

"...Re-really?" Asuna involuntarily responded, then realized what she just said. Feeling ashamed, she said in a low voice, "...Remember this. Or you'll really end up with rapier holes in your body."

"Then, the least we can do is to come back alive today." After making that comment, the swordsman grinned and laughed.

**ooo**

The sun was already high when we entered the labyrinth, and judging from the time, it was around 11:00am when we did, and now it's exactly 12:30pm, we reached the final Safe Zone just before the Boss Room. So far, there were no deaths with regards to the march to his location, I gave myself a secret pat to the back with that figure. After all, a near forty four people, known as "Full Raid Party" all marched brazenly with heads held up, even if majority of the participants were all noobs at this concept. In this world, "First" was an action that always had the risk of an accident and was indeed, always dangerous, as we cannot predict the outcome, with no exceptions.

In fact, on our way here, we were met by an ambush of a band of roving Kobold mobs, and while we, "Team TE" held the front lines, a sneak attack behind our flanks emerged and the people wielding the long ranged weapons like Spears and Halberds which were mostly in the group "F" and "G" startled them all of a sudden and here in Sword Art Online, melee weapons will not produce friendly fire, but will stagger the formation if ever it hits other people, which really sucks if you are in a supposed tight one.

In such times, I know we aren't Gods in this game... Yet. But the "Knight" Diabel, although he was lower leveled than me, displayed brilliant instincts and tactical mindset as he was able to exercise command properly in such a short window of time. As a leader of the forces, he made bold decisions, like staying to fight while getting others to retreat, using heavy amounts of sword skills to knock back the monsters, and switching between long and melee weapon equipped members. These decisions could only be made if he was familiar with being a leader.

As soon as re-briefing everybody else with what their jobs are, the Knight Diabel stood in front of all of us, talk about hailing himself as the leader. He stood in front of the large iron gates which block our way, our destiny.

I eyed the people around me, beginning with my teammates. The looks on their eye showed pure determination, that certain stubborn courage and pride we always uphold whenever we are in these situation, which never changes. I could see the look of worry, but it's further overshadowed by the sheer will to bring this to an upstart, the desire to progress. The second lead group, Diabel's.

His team was composed of the other group of tankers, people geared to the teeth with a bunch of crappy bronze stuff, but I think at this level, it's quite enough. Their eyes were full of fear, after all, they are the ones to receive the full brunt of damage coming from the boss itself, without the option to turn tails and run, they have one of the biggest and most important task, because if they were to collapse, the front lines will crumble, and the boss will almost always go for the DPS classes in the back who have abyssal defenses.

The backup tank team, Team B, lead by the axe-user Agil was pretty easygoing, composed of most likely the most seasoned Players around, as they all looked calm and composed, their armor a little bit better looking than the others and judging by the weapons slung to their backs, they already have planned ahead of everything else by knowing what to do endgame.

Teams C and D were the majority of the DPS guys, and along with the group where the high-flying Kibaou's Team E and F, the Polearms group, they all had the same neutral look, just what you see everyday, as if they think that this would be another walk in the park for them. I seriously wish they have their asses kicked later.

Lastly, there was Team G which were composed of the black haired swordsman Kirito, who's sword skill surpasses his own Level, and the mysterious cloaked girl Asuna, who's "Linear" skill was honed to superb and insane levels, albeit being stupid enough to pass out in the labyrinth. It was a rather good mixture, two people doing Switches, it might even be the best combination in the whole Raid Party aside from my well rounded party, as they can just rotate between each other from attacking and defending wise. Their faces definitely contained fear as well but their eyes were like a tiger's, fearless.

Being fearless after all isn't about "not" having any "fear" at all, it all boils down to fearing something, yet you go ahead and come charging at it. Facing fears is on a totally different level than just not having them as what doesn't kill you makes you tougher. Well, the goal isn't 'dying' anyway so yeah.

The air grew tenser as Diabel the Knight placed his hands which were covered in brass gauntlets and placed them on the cold, large iron handles of the Boss Room.

I closed my eyes, and all the noise and aura of pressure around me became silent. In the midst of the darkness that I saw, I don't know why but I began hearing 'her' voice, the voice I've longed to hear, the voice I've always wanted to be part of my everyday. She was calling out to me from the darkness, she was calling my name. It brought relieve and pain at the same time, relief to the point that I heard what I want, but pain because I am too helpless to do anything at this point. Frustration is a keyword.

This is the very first roadblock we hit, and the very first stepping stone that will either fling us to glory or hurl us to death, and we have no other choice but to face our fears.

Swallowing all my fears, I opened my eyes, the livid colors of this virtual realm flooding my vision once more, in front of me, Diabel pushed the door open, warm, humid air blowing past all of us, but we stood firm, all forty four of us.

No one dared to shout something crazy as "Leeeeeeroy Jenkins!" or something along those lines because noise will just attract mobs and instead, the successive sounds of swords, axes, hammers, maces, shields and whatever weapons they carried being drawn filled the air.

And as his fabulous blue hair swayed with the hot breeze, Diabel held his long silver sword up high before bringing it down, tip pointing towards the large dim room which loomed before us.

At that instant, forty four people moved amazingly in sync, charging towards the unknown.

* * *

A/N: Been a while, haven't got that much time to write but hey, this one still pulled through, albeit the fewer word count, I'm glad it still took off. Thanks to all the followers of this story although there's a lot of flaws with it as mentioned in the reviews, I know this isn't perfect and am fully aware of it but hey, I'm actually looking at mashing it up with some game physics taken from the MMO I play which is Dragon Nest SEA. So yeah, I hope you guys still read through this fic, am not giving this one up since I like SAO as much as I like AW. Again, thanks for the readers, followers and reviewers, you guys rock!

**xxx**

Update on other fics:

AW: On the Wings of Time: TEMPORARY ON HOLD, researching for content.  
HnA: Requiem of a Lost Melody: INDEFINITELY ON HOLD, waiting for more input from the person who wanted to read through it.

**xxx**

PS:

Dear Fellow Fanfiction Writers from the Philippines,

Hooray, we are going to get sued for giving more glory and attention to our beloved original works just because we publish our own versions/iterations/ of the said work. Should we be afraid? It's up to you and how much trust you can put in fighting for your freedom of speech through the Internet. Am I afraid? I am not. Because the only way for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. (quoted)

Please do not support/reject the RA. 10175: Cybercrime Prevention Law of the Philippines. It is designed to prevent us from expressing our views and opinions as well as limit our freedom.

We should not be afraid to express your views. We should not be afraid of the Government. The Government should be afraid of it's people.

Love, Seiji.


	4. Chapter 4 High Speed Requiem

**Chapter 4 - High Speed Requiem**

* * *

Was it this huge?

That was the thought that ran through my mind as all of us entered the Boss Room, as all of us looked around the great expanse the room itself covered. It covers around twenty meters left to right plus it was sort of rectangular in shape. A dim, soft blue light started to faintly illuminate the room together with the faint orange glow of the torches on the four corner pillars of the room, and random colors beamed in from the stained glass window designs on the walls.

At the far end of the room lies a throne-like structure which was too large for even Agil to sit on to. In it's stead however, was a large, almost lizard like creature which stood up, following our invasion of his own private pent house. The said creature stood upright on two legs, indicating that it is indeed, a demi-human monster and judging from the sheer size difference of it from the rest, along with the dreaded name "Illfang the Kobold Lord" right under his four sets of HP bars.

Upon gaining proper footholds, the creature jumped high in the air despite it's size, quickly traversing a couple of meters closer to us in just one huge leap. It then drew it's weapon; a huge copper colored axe accompanied by a tough-looking leather buckler strapped to it's arms, the bladed edge of his axe was swung violently around which in turn raised gusts of wind which blew against the party, it then followed up by letting us hear it's ferocious roar, it's tongue sticking out like some mad dog... Very typical first time appearance of any MMO boss I'm afraid, Argus should be more creative with these stuff the next time they make one.

"GRRRRAAAAHHHHH!" It viciously roared, the blood curling echo it created reverberated throughout the enclosed space, sending fear deep inside the hearts of the men of Team B, the sub tank division which would be our assisting entourage, but not in the faces of my men (and women). Our morale further boosted as soon as we heard it, our minds being blown back to olden times, where we would dominate such creatures through an exemplary show of force, rampaging through the battlefield with ruthless aggression.

I was beginning to think that from the way I bit my lips so hard as I charged that for a moment, I totally forgot that if I happen to die in this fight that I would die in the real world as well, it somehow escaped my mind for a little bit, heck after all, my "gamer's instinct" kicked in, thus the drive to excel among the rest compelled me to push harder that everybody else, driving my Team's rank higher than the others.

2 meters. I was running at full speed that seemed as if my feet were on fire and I could feel my body becoming as light as a feather, even the weight of my Iron Set armor set which was supposed to be the heaviest one based on the limits of this floor felt nothing, as if the wind itself was carrying and propelling me forward. My left hand held my shield, it was raised to eye level, ready to receive the full brunt of the monstrosity before me while my mace was tucked low behind my back, the boorish silver cudgel ready to pummel my adversary.

1 Meter. Amidst the cold, chilling skin rending gusts brushing against my face, I kept my calm as the distance between me and Illfang closed, each and every step I was threading seemed to suddenly slow down, my eyes registering the fact that I was the lead figure of the pack, the tip of the spear head so to say. I closed my eyes tightly for a moment and I brought myself to visualize her happy, gently smiling face. "Ly... For you... I will fight." I muttered under my breath before straining my eyes as I opened them as wide as I can, the light flowing back in, the livid colors flooding my retina.

The Kobold Lord closed in, it's copper axe raised high above it's head in a maddened dash of frenzy, it's wolf-like jaw opened and it's tongue which was spilling drool as it ran. A second later, the huge weapon crashed down on me with a force of about thirty or so Kobolds behind it, my shield blocking the attack, and the resounding sound of clanging metal exploded in the air.

Just like that, on the fourth of December, 2:40pm, I became the very first Player to encounter a Boss type Monster, and the very first Boss battle Aincrad has seen started.

* * *

His blows were strong and unforgiving, heavy yet swift. I didn't had any problems turtling for the first few seconds but my left arm started to go numb from the repeated strikes I received, and I couldn't even use my counter Sword Skills as the delays between Illfang's attacks were too small to open up a chance and I basically cannot even charge up my Sword Skill for them to activate.

***THLAAANG!***

"Gaaah..." I loosed a ragged ex-pat as I blocked yet another of Illfang's heavy blow, my arm now on it's limit, as shown by the reddish glow it was now showcasing, indicating severe damage. I shot my glance upwards, my HP bar was almost halfway though, just over fifty points before it falls into the yellow zone, then I swept my gaze to the Players who were now at their proper assigned positions, ready to make actions as soon as I give out the command to switch.

"Thorn! Cover switch now!" I growled towards my teammate, who was now standing ready behind Illfang, his hammer in a low stance, ready to switch agro with me, while I confirmed that both Nineball and Akira were behind me, and further to their backs were the sub tank Team B, who will then take agro right after my Team's DPSers dish out their damage.

"RRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHH HHHHH!" As soon as the people around me heard my command, everyone started moving. Thornforge initiated the action as planned, dishing out his "Provoking Howl" Sword Skill to taunt Illfang with such tenacity that he immediately gets a full agro on himself, averting him away from me, and as expected, the beast turned his back against me without fail and switched agro to Thorn.

Seeing that the first phase was done, Diabel expertly moved towards the flank, directing both Teams C and D on opposite sides to deal damage, while Akira and Nineball from Team TE moved behind Illfang while the agro was focused on Thornforge, who has to keep it until the damage phase is up and while I recover.

The sounds of chaos swarmed the battlefield as soon as almost forty or so people moved almost in sync and just right on plan, it was such a sight to behold, it was like an orchestra duking out it's tune in high speed as the fast paced action only lasted a mere fifteen to twenty seconds before the DPS teams eventually either ran out of skills to use or was getting slowed down by the System Restriction since not all of them had Levels as high as Akira and Nineball, who were still doing constant damage amidst the time frame.

The Healing Crystal that I used recovered my HP bar up to about 90% since it is just something bought from an NPC shop, nothing much can be said about the quality, but I had no qualms about it, it's still better than taking the agro back with less than 65% HP left. I scanned the field quickly as I checked the Raid Party's Average HP meter, which is still well above 85%, pretty good, and if my guesses are right, only either Thornforge or the guys at Team B were the only ones that'll be soaking up damage thus reducing the averaging gauge.

My senses flared up once more as soon as Illfang's first HP bar was shaved off, I quickly started jogging around Team B, who was now tanking as Thorn already switched out, and although they had sub-par equipments, they were doing quite a good job keeping the Boss at bay, as their sheer numbers, due to it being a full six man tanking team, they were able to utilize the "Eclispe Guarding" maneuver wherein they could form a half circle around the boss, and they constantly ting salvo of thrown projectiles, spears, glaives, javelins, daggers, and basically whatever they can to compensate for the few seconds gap in the agro shuffle, drawing Illfang towards me so I can take over plus of course, burning a couple of dots away from his third HP bar.

A grin welled up in my lips as soon as I came into attacking distance from Illfang, where I stopped dead in my tracks to start charging a skill to catch his agro. "Divine... Breaker!" I yelled as I myself unleashed the fury of my weapon, my arms drawn backwards and swung with such force that the rampaging Illfang who was running towards me was caught dead on with the skill, my iron cudgel knocking up a good chunk of it's HP as it landed squarely flat against his abdomen which sent him staggering a couple of steps backwards, inflicted with both an Armor Reduction Debuff plus a brief Stun plus the agro was reseted to me since that skill adds threat towards me.

And I wasn't through, as a tank, this was one of the precious moments where I myself could get notches off the Boss itself, and seeing that for a second or two, Illfang was just a mere sitting duck with the yellow star icons whirling over his head, indicating he was stunned, and since we're almost down to the second phase of battle, I might as well move the plans along.

I crouched low, my shield raised up, body under the protection of my shield, weapon hung low, head down. "Divine..." The System immediately kicking in, my body began glowing a faint green, and as I started to move my legs, I finished uttering the words to trigger the Sword Skill. "...Charger!" The light intensified, glowing more brightly, before my speed accelerated beyond normal means, as the System granted the boost itself which sent me hurtling towards the still stunned Illfang.

"Haaaaaaah! Out of my waaaaay!" I loosed a deep shout as I thundered the three or so meter distance between me and Illfang, which closed in really quickly, and the moment my shield touched Illfang's broad sides, it exploded with fervor, and since he was stunned, it almost swept him off his feet, lucky enough that he was still able to recover out of the status, planting one of his own leg behind him to prevent him from falling. But I wasn't done, I still had fuel left in my charge. I strengthened my left arm, and I brought my dominant right arm which held my mace to support the shield up as well, and I continued pushing him back, all the way to almost where his throne is.

"GURAAAGGGGHHHHH!" Illfang howled in protest, full agro towards me. The delay I suffered from executing the last Sword Skill was all but short but just as soon as I stopped for most likely half a second, Illfang lashed his axe against my shield, and since I was in delay, the driving force behind my defense was a little bit off and as I took the blow, my shield was fended off sideways, exposing my body.

My eyes sprang wide open, and in those precious tenths of a second, time almost look as if it slowed down a thousand fold, I noticed how Illfang's eyes started to flare a dark red, and my ears registered Thorn's loud shouting voice, calling out my name. But what really was shitty was when I saw Illfang brandishing his buckler, bearing it down on me. I couldn't even react but try to parry it using my mace- But it was too late.

"Aaaggghhh~" I gasped for air as the shield connected against my chest, and although my armor did protected me, I imagine my chest being squashed inside it which made me gasp for air as I was sent tumbling down a couple of meters away, barrel rolling like a huge lump of discarded iron.

And if that wasn't enough, my back crashed into something... Solid. I didn't had time to check where the agro was, but upon hearing Thornforge's loud howling, I'm pretty sure the Raid Team quickly adapted by using a rapid switch, a plan we devised just in case things like this happens, for when I loose agro and stuff, and the main reason why there are at least three tank units at most, two in reserve.

I slumped on the cold, hard concrete, my eyes ceased spinning in about a second, registering the very detailed cracked floor, illuminated blue by the surroundings, then I saw something, the thing which I crashed into... Was actually a Kobold Sentinel. What a blunder, I thought as I heard a low shriek from the creature as it prepared it's polished sword to cut my head but...

"Haaaah! Slant!" A flash of blue light streaked past me, and a flair of something black crossed my sight. It was the black clad swordsman Kirito of Team G, his sword, the Anneal Blade which was... As far as I can remember, is a rare monster drop... From the third floor, which is why I totally missed it when I first saw it, and how come he has it while we're stuck in the first floor? Simple. He obtained it via an NPC quest. Amazing, Kirito. You impress me.

The sparks that flew out as his blade clashed against the Kobold's brusque weapon, deflecting it away from me. "Asuna! Switch!" After the two of them received a delay penalty, he quickly shot a glance back towards his partner, the cloaked rapier user Asuna, who was closely following him before giving out the Switch command. Upon hearing it, Asuna quickly acknowledged and responded, her thin blade drawn in a flash, quickly finding the Kobold's throat via using the skill "Linear".

After the Kobold was sent flying away, though not dead, I feel as if the next sword strike against it would kill it so I started to sit up, re-checking my HP gauge which, thankfully wasn't drained that much, 91% left. Kirito and Asuna stood in front of me to keep the Kobold away, both of them glancing backwards. I gave a nod to tell them I'm okay before the two of them raced to finish off the Kobold.

I quickly shot up, ignoring the pain that my body was telling me in order to get back to the front lines quickly before the defense collapses. "Thorn! Thanks man!" I raised a hand towards Thorn, who was now holding his own ground against Illfang, his huge hammer connecting against the beast's thick kneecaps.

"No problemo! Switch!" He then replied, reading off what I was thinking. He withdrew as soon as I started hitting the Boss with normal attacks to catch it's agro.

"Diabel! Third bar's almost up! Prepare for Phase 2!" I shot back at Diabel, who was at the middle of the group, constantly shuffling the DPS teams around to deal constant damage while someone was tanking, as well as directing fire for the Support squads who wields long range weapons. What a strong sense of command, I thought. I earned a positive nod as he continued to rally the rest of the team to drain the remaining two thirds of Illfang's third HP bar.

* * *

2:50pm, Aincrad's 1st Floor Boss Room Just around a mere ten minutes or so of combat, the very first Boss Raid Team Aincrad has ever seen has opened the Boss Room and initiated encounter with the very first Boss Monster this death game has to offer, Illfang the Kobold Lord. And after just a mere ten minutes, through constant switching patterns and co-op play, we were able to finally drain it's HP down to the last two remaining bars, which in turn, bring us to the second and final phase of this fight.

I, as the Raid Party's main tank, held the front lines in alternate with Thornforge, the sub tank, and the rest of Team B, who were the backup tankers. While the rest of Team TE provided DPS along with Teams C and D, while Teams E and F provided cover fire while we switch between tanking roles. Finally, Team G, composed of the black swordsman Kirito and the mysterious cloaked Asuna cleared the summoned Kobold Sentinel mobs Illfang summons every ten or so seconds.

In front of me was the roaring Illfang the Kobold Lord, the dominant force that rules the very first floor of Aincrad, a formidable enemy to people who comes unprepared with mindless tactics in hand. But it shouldn't be the case for us, since we properly formed a Raid Party beforehand, discussed a battle plan and ultimately, made sure our Levels, equipments and supplies were at the very least almost the same level or even surpass what the Boss challenge demanded. It's four bar HP Gauge was now down to it's last one, only having just a mere one third left and as indicated in the Information Broker's Battle Guide Booklet, as well as my experience from Beta Test, I calmly prepared myself both mentally and physically for the next phase which will determine whether or not we successfully clear this wall or not.

"GUWAARRGGGGHHHHAAAAGGHHHHH!" An ear rending roar escaped the huge Kobold's ferocious looking jaws, it's eyes started glowing crimson red, as if it was determined to slaughter each and everyone of us while it threw it's Copper Axe and Leather Buckler away, crashing on the ground a good couple of meters away before drawing the weapon slung on to it's back which was the 'Talwar'...

...But.

"Team C and D! Press the attack while the tanks keep him at bay!" Diabel shouted as he majestically waved his silver colored sword towards Illfang, directing the attacking force while he himself joined them, his flowing blue hair gently swaying as he dashed forward alongside the DPS teams.

But I had yet to warn them...

As far as I was concerned, I pretty much knew that companies tend to change some in-game content over the course of transition from Beta Test to Official Launch stages, and it can be anything, town layout, dungeon layout, player interface, mob difficulty, monster patterns, algorithms, and a lot, lot more. And I why wasn't I surprised when Illfang drew not a 'Talwar', but a long, curved 'Katana'? Let's say... I had the slightest hunch, but this isn't something that we can afford to stop us now, no, not at this point, and specially not with the kind of situation we are in.

What made things more dangerous and complicated for us is that, we, or rather I didn't anticipated the change from the Boss using a 'Talwar' to a 'Katana'. It was basically worlds apart, starting from the length, size, attack power of the bladed weapon itself, up to the Sword Skills it can actually utilize, as a Kobold lord is actually considered a half-humanoid monster, therefore giving him the ability to use Sword Skills.

Even if it was Team B's turn to tank and take agro, I, who has just finished recovering using a Healing Crystal, quickly ran over as fast as I can towards the front lines, my shield drawn up and my voice shouting out as loud as I can. "No! Stahp! This isn't something we have planned!" My voice echoed loudly throughout the room, catching everybody else's attention, which just confused them, as my command easily overrides what Diabel has just ordered them.

As the Raiders acted all confused, the defenses began to crumble. The Boss unleashed a flurry of horizontal slashes that were so fast that the tankers weren't able to keep up with it, their shields being blown away from the sheer impact of the weapon on it's surface. One by one they stumbled away, part of their HP bar shaved off as punishment. Seeing that the DPS classes were in danger, I yelled to Thornforge, ordering him to side with me to fortify the front line to prevent it from collapsing. I earned a quick nod from him as he ran alongside me, our weapons flailing about, ready to parry the next downward blow which was directed towards one downed tanker.

***KA-CHANG!***

Thorn's hammer and my mace met the curved edge of it's katana, a shower of sparks spattering as our feet almost seemed to dig in the concrete ground from the sheer strength behind the blow.

"Demmet. Hrrrgh. Isn't this... Something that wasn't planned?!" Thorn yelled in protest as he gritted his teeth, the hammer in his hand slowly loosing it's usual tenacity from the length of this encounter, with fatigue slowly seeping in.

"Hhnngg i-it wasn't! That's why we have to reform a line and keep all the DPSers away for the meantime! Illfang will-" I got cut off as the Kobold drove the katana onwards, shattering our defenses and bringing both of us to our knees, our HP bars drastically dropped to around halfway and entered the yellow zone. This is bad, really bad, I thought.

As the people around us were thrown in utter chaos from the development, with most of the people either backing out too far or attempting to completely ran away, Illfang howled low as he raised the gleaming edge of his blade upwards using both hands, the warm breath that escaped from it's nostrils indicating it was about to use some sort of deathblow skill, and a few seconds later, it flashed yellow.

My survival instincts kicking in, I ignored all the pain searing within me and I grabbed Thronforge out of there, basically yanking him by the collar of his armor as I shouted a retreat order, first acknowledged by Akira and Nineball, followed by the far images of Kirito and Asuna also moving back, apparently, they also knew what was going on. I was beginning to think that one of them either had some sort of... 'Knowledge' prior to this 'Aincrad', but this is not a time to discuss it. I also saw the bunches of DPS players along with Team B getting the hell out of there too so I think my message got through but...

There was a lone figure who moved against the flow.

A gleaming silverish sword. A gray colored kite shield with a cross mark in the middle. Above average bronze armor with blacksmith enhancements. Gorgeous yet fictional long blue flowing hair. One cannot miss that abnormally colored hairdo as it dashed quickly in front of us, against the flow, plus the way he brandished his weapons were in stark contrast with the orders I was shouting, well, I wasn't ordering them, I was trying to save their pathetic lives.

It was the Knight Diabel. His lone figure racing to do battle with the boss monster was gallant looking which fitted his image of a knight, and although it is a very bold, heroic move, it wasn't the very best one to take in this situation. His sword was trained forward, his shield was off to his side, used as a stabilizer rather than a protective item as he charged to obviously bring an end to this...

Hey wait. Come to think of it, I totally forgot about it. One of the main things that attract people to do Raid Hunts is the fact that of course since we are fighting a Boss Monster, despite it's dangers, of course if we surpass it, there's bound to be rewards. First and foremost would be the normal Boss drops which were evenly distributed to the Raid Members, examples of which are money, common drops and such. Then comes the 'rare' items. There isn't one for everyone so the distribution is done through 'rolling' where Players roll for higher number, and whoever gets the highest digit among the rest would be the one getting the item.

And lastly, is something that everyone can be accountable for, and can actually be controlled, orchestrated, planned or whatever pre-determined way it is. The 'Last Attack' bonus is an extremely 'rare' item unique only to the Boss Monster killed which is granted directly to the person who gets the last hit off the Boss itself. This is actually exploitable in some way because even before the Raid itself starts, people can plan ahead by making a specific person reserved his or her skills for use at the last few dots of HP the boss has.

But it also has it's own dangers, because as a usual trend in MMO games, monsters, specially Boss Classes almost always either changes it's attack and defense pattern the further it's HP goes down, or it can buff itself up with various self enhancing effects or pretty much doing anything to tide the battle in favor of it, and if something unexpected comes up, the player who's pre-determined to get the 'Last Attack' or 'LA' bonus can get into serious trouble.

And in this death game, trouble is something we do not want.

I stopped myself dead in my tracks, shoving Thorn forward, motioning to him to go ahead and make sure that the others are safe before I quickly rushed backwards, hoping to still catch the idiot who was planning something.

"Oi Diabel! What in the world are you doing?! Stop the Leeroy Jenkins act!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, burning all my air, hoping to bring him back to his senses. But it was all for naught. Time seemed to have slowed down, he calmly swept his gaze back towards me, a wide grin flashing in his face as he ran. So this is what he was after. I see. So it all makes sense now. The way he directed others seemed too good to be true, so that was it. I see now.

The enraged Illfang's huge body shook the floor as it jumped high, it turned it's body in mid-air while accumulating power focused on it's weapon, which was by now, intensely glowing with a blood red aura. As it reached the peak of it's ascent, his heavy weight was pulled back by gravity, almost twice- no, even thrice the speed of it's ascent, downwards, it's roar was ear shattering and it's entire body seemed aflame with the red aura spreading throughout.

Plane of attack, horizontal. Angle of attack, three hundred sixty degrees. A Sword Skill designed only for the exclusive use of a katana, the 'Whirling Wheel', 'Tsumujiguruma'. The beast thundered down with such force enough to shatter the very earth itself, while on the other hand...

The blue haired Knight Diabel began to wield his sword lower, starting up a most likely vertical planed charge-type attack. His feet carried him swiftly through the long expanse quickly, and the tip of his blade was almost scraping the ground. "Two Point Line!" His lips muttered the name of the attack which was closely followed by an exploding yet soft blue light enveloping his sword arm as he propelled himself upwards, jumping with all his might, assisted by the system, the sharp edge of his sword cutting upwards.

But I fear that he already had zero percent chances to break through the Super Armor or 'SA' for short, granted to Illfang by his Sword Skill, as the downward trajectory of his descent added to the total calculation while Diabel's 'Two Point Line' attack was designed to pierce SA's, 'Tsumujiguruma' basically had stronger SA value than what Line can pierce, and the slight difference of level between Illfang himself and Diabel sealed the deal.

I, on the other hand, still tried to run as fast as I can, on the corner of my eye, I actually caught something black and darting which was racing on the opposite direction, it was Kirito. I knew it. He is also one of us. Ignoring him for a while, I dashed madly and hopelessly to try and protect Diabel but we were just too late.

With a loud crash, the Kobold Lord and the blue haired Knight collided, and as expected, Diabel's attack was crushed, and he was sent flying, crashing into the very earth where he took off, the HP bar over his head drastically shaved until around halfway, quickly entering the yellow zone. But Illfang wasn't through. with only about two or three meters vertical distance between him and the fallen knight, he held his katana with two hands over his head, once more glowing red. Sword Skill 'Floating Boat' 'Ukifune'. He unleashed the fury of a heavy downwards strike backed up by the gravity behind him, and as he slammed the ground with as much force as a wrecking ball, debris scattered which made both me and Kirito stop midway and place our hands over our eyes to prevent dirt from going in it.

After the dust settled a few seconds later, the huge beast towered over the battered knight, his armor was a mess, his arms were limp, weapons discarded and his fabulous blue hair now had a shade of black dirt. I could clearly see him trying to turn himself over and crawl away, the expression on his face was one of either surprise, self pity or plain helplessness in the face of imminent annihilation.

The air suddenly grew heavy and silent, and none of the forty three other people including me and Kirito couldn't moved and just watched in shock, unable to process what went wrong or what even happened.

But as if to seal his fate, Illfang gave another resounding cry as he crouched low, bringing in the katana slightly behind him as he faced sideways, kinda like how a baseball batter would when he is about to bat. The dreadful katana was once again engorged in the cruel red flames of death, pulsating with destruction, leaving nothing in it's wake. It was the finisher to this three-skill combo, 'Scarlet Fan' 'Hogi'.

At that moment, even if I was doubting myself if I should still rush over and save this man, wasn't able to resist the urge to still help, my greaves thundered down nosily against the dusty concrete, while Kirito did the same on the other side, hoping to catch Illfang in mid-charge action to cancel out the attack... But our distance proved to be too far.

"UUUUOOOOHHHHH!" With a final gasping roar, Illfang unleashed a three-part slash against the now crawling and battered Diabel, catching him totally defenseless. I swear I cleanly saw the blade passed through his body, his eyes almost bulging out from perhaps the intense feeling of pain that was tearing through his body as death began to knock on his doorsteps. And if that wasn't enough to seal the deal, the last strike that collided against his body was a long arched attack which sent his avatar flying through the air towards me and Kirito, with the black swordsman opening his arms to catch the battered, fallen warrior.

The Boss wasted no time in following up, as the hate value transferred to either me or Kirito, it dashed madly towards the black swordsman who was cradling Diabel on the ground. "Y... You... YOU BITCH!" My feet sprang once more, carrying me towards the path of impact, placing myself and my shield directly infront of Kirito and Diabel, deflecting the vertical cut Illfang unleashed which was supposed to end them. My arm shook and the shield reverberated, but my will didn't. I propped the shield using both hands, and as his blade gritted against the surface, his force increased more and more the longer we were locked together so I decided to muster all the fight left in me, pushing the beast away, sending him a couple of steps backwards while I collapsed on to one knee, my legs shaking like crazy, and my HP bar now below the yellow zone.

Just mere seconds after that, Illfang flailed his arms around as he unleashed another ear rending roar, the shock waves that resonated almost swept us backwards, and it's after pose indicated that it would once again charge towards us, with blade held high.

Was this the end? I closed my eyes as I held my shield one last time over me, covering my body and protecting the ones who were behind me, Kirito and Diabel. I tightly clutched the leather holster that holds up my shield in place, I could even feel my palm sweating as I did and a multitude or sweat started to drip down my virtual cheeks.

"Haaaah! Linear!" Salvation came in the form of an angelic voice hailing from behind us, which was shortly followed by the god-like speed of her fleeting figure, chestnut colored hair trailing behind her as her thin bladed rapier flashed green, striking with pinpoint accuracy directed the weak spot of Illfang's katana, the middle part, which made the blade veer off it's course, crashing just beside us.

Then as if God heard our prayers, another loud crash resounded, this time from Illfang's left side. It was the tall axe user Agil, his skinhead glowing blue against the backdrop of the light which illuminated the room, his huge twin bladed axe steadily glowing green as it spun round and round even after it collided against the Kobold Lord's hide. "Storm-san, we'll deal with this, you guys try and recover!" The deep voice he calmly let out was soothing, in stark contrast with the emotions of fury in his face. "Asuna-san! Please leave this to me and assist Diabel-san!" He added as he took the agro away from Asuna, drawing Illfang away from us.

But Diabel's HP bar, which was affected by three different damage points from three different points of attack was now in the red zone, and is still dropping rapidly.

"D-Diabel! Take this Potion!" Cradling the fallen Knight, Kirito scrambled his Inventory and fished out a tiny bottle filled with red liquid, a cheap substitute for Healing Crystals which, didn't had that much effect but was still better than nothing in this situation. He quickly fumbled with the cap and tried placing the narrow end of the bottle near Diabel's lips but...

"...P-please... Kirito-kun... Storm-kun... Th-the boss... Please... Defea-" Before he could even finish his sentence, before he could even have a sip of the potion offered to him, the commander of the Aincrad Boss Raid Forces, the 'Knight' Diabel, turned into blue shards of glass which shattered and scattered.

* * *

At that moment, it was as if time stood by, watching the faces of the remaining forty three people which were painted with despair. Nearly all of the Raid members clutched and hung on to their weapons, with their eyes wide open in disbelief. The leader being the first to fall, to die, was an unpleasant situation that not even me was prepared for. It was actually the last thing that will even cross my mind, as I was actually hoping to get each and every person back home alive from this Boss Raid, so no one knew what to do.

Of course, that wasn't particularly true for me but well, this wasn't in my plans so even I was shaken. And to think about that fact that 'on the other side', his body should have expired as well gave me the chills, and that was because of some retarded reason that he was too greedy about wanting to get the Last Attack Bonus this early, it just... Sucked.

In my mind, two options already ran rampant. To flee, or to fight.

Under normal circumstances, when something like the Boss not doing something that we have anticipated earlier on, or the loss of the Raid's leader, everyone should immediately retreat out of the Boss Room. However, if we turn tail and run for it, our backs would be exposed to the now unpredictable Illfang, and since his actions cannot be discerned by anyone, not even me who has extensive knowledge prior to this, he could easily utilize his Sword Skills to chase us down as we flee, and it the worst case scenario, our HP gauges would constantly fall and one by one we would soon follow Diabel.

Above those facts, should someone survive it until the very end and make it safely back to the Town of Beginnings, with news of the Raid Party being wiped out and the loss of it's leader, surely the people will hesitate to rally the cause or worst, will not even think about wanting to challenge the Boss, which will eventually lead to the rest of the eight thousand people being trapped here forever, with the endurance of their own physical body 'on the other side' being the ticking time bomb as to when they will expire.

"WHAT THE FUCK DID JUST HAPPENED?!" A grim shout pierced the silence that draped the entire Raid team, blasting within just inches away from me and Kirito who were still stunned following the events. "...Why... Why... Diabel-san, the leader... Why the first..." It was Kibaou. His voice was torn and sorrowful, as if he just lost a very dear friend.

-Because he's a greedy bitch who wanted to get the Last Attack Bonus from the Boss amidst it doing something that we haven't anticipated.

I wanted to tell him that straight in his face, but it was pointless to argue with this narrow minded person so instead, I grabbed him by the collar, raising his puny figure up, leveling his squinty eyes against mine, which was currently full of resentment from being incapable of doing anything to protect Diabel amidst his selfishness. His body tensed up as our eyes met, and although he resisted my grip with his hands, they were powerless against my STR/VIT focused build.

"This isn't the time to mope around. Carry your duty until the very end, or die like the pig you are, right here, right now." I spoke with a soft yet intimidating tone as I affixed my gaze unto his, making sure I get my point across. /SPACE/ The sound of Illfang roaring in the background didn't falter my lecturing as I held him up.

"...Wh-what did you just say?!" Was his reply coming from his puny mouth, eyes now filled with terror from this sudden farce.

"You're the leader of Group E. If your resolve falters here and your will dies, your companions will die as well! Listen here. Illfang's only got a few more dots on his HP, we will work together just like how we roll earlier, and we will bring him down. I trust that you will lead your group right now just like how you lead them earlier." I blurted near his ear, reinstating the fact that the battle itself was raging on.

"...And you? What do you two plan on doing? Escape by yourselves?!" He protested.

I subtly glanced towards the black swordsman Kirito, who was now standing a couple of steps away from me, his black forelocks draping down on his eyes.

"Of course we..." I started my sentence, but at the corner of my eye, I saw Kirito, grasping his blade tightly.

"...Will get the Last Attack on the Boss!" We said in unison.

* * *

For the next three or so minutes, we started to reform our defenses, shuffling the agro around the main tankers to position the DPSers around the field, while making sure that there is sufficient distance between each other, to be a hundred percent sure that AoE attacks will not affect more than one person at any given time, and that goes for the tankers as well. We decided to initiate a 'rotating agro shift' to make Illfang get confused with who has the most hate value by making the tankers attack him from all sides in alternate, and that allowed groups C, D and E get into position while I specifically asked Team G; Kirito and Asuna to stick with my own Team, Team TE to make sure the Kobold Sentinels doesn't get in the way.

And the plan was once everyone is in their positions, we would time our attack right after the last Kobold Sentinel gets killed, during the window of time from the last summoned mob dies and the next wave of summons comes into play, which is around two or three minutes, we could draw all our remaining firepower directly and collectively towards Illfang, trying to get his HP down to zero in that single opportunity while making sure no one else gets seriously hurt.

It will be a DPS race on whether we could kill the Kobold Lord before he could summon more mobs to ambush our unprotected flanks or he himself gets the upper hand with his tremendous strength and unpredictable set of Sword Skills.

2:56pm, approximately sixteen minutes after this Boss battle began and after one fatality suffered, the very first Boss Raid Team Aincrad has seen began their final offensive against the first floor boss, Illfang the Kobold Lord.

"Storm-san! Your turn!" Agil's voice towered over the rest as he swung his axe ferociously one last time, hitting Illfang square in his abdomen, the Kobold clenching his teeth at the damage.

"With pleasure!" I replied with a wide grin, charging ahead to draw agro away from Agil's team in the last rotation as the DPS teams were already in place. It was the time to initiate the plan. "Akira, Nineball, Kirito, Asuna, let's do this, finish off those Sentinels, blast them to hell!" I shouted the order to commence the plan, and the four of them, being AGI their main stats, drew all their blades in one fluid motion, consecutively slashing the throats of the mobs, eliminating them in just mere seconds after I gave the order.

"All right! THIS IS IT!" Now my own voice dominated the battlefield, as my blood lust activated, the burning passion in me to finish this once and for all flared. I then blocked the next forward thrust mounted by Illfang, my battered shield connecting against his blade, it's curved surface making the sword slide on it, bringing Illfang into an unbalanced status as he lost his footing following his deflected strike, and I was keen on that mistake.

I raised my mace high above my head, just like how Diabel directed the Raid group, and all eyes fell on me. "Brave warriors of Aincrad, that monster is an obstacle to your freedom... He is weakened and stands no match against our determination... Take his head, he is ours!" I then brought my cudgel down, it's iron head pointed towards the wobbling Kobold Lord. "FOR FREEEEEEDOOOOOOOM!" I subconsciously shouted as I took off, one last charge, death or glory.

"UUUUUUOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH!" The thunder of greaves loudly echoed through the expanse as forty three people, regardless of assigned positions, tanker, DPS, support, mob control, including me, Thornforge, Akira, Nineball, Agil, Kibaou, Kirito and Asuna, all of us charged full speed towards Illfang, hoping that the delay would be sufficient enough to end this fight.

The tankers under Agil's command were the first to engage as they were the closest, their heavy weapons brought down with such tenacity that we could even feel the very earth trembling. It was shortly followed by a long range projectile barrage by the support group led by Kibaou as soon as the tankers finished their carnage. After the projectiles ceased, it was followed by the bulk of the DPS teams, their blades dealing quick slashes, bringing down Illfang to his knees, his HP gauge down on it's last juices.

The DPS teams were now hit with their delays, and they started to withdraw, just as planned.

It was my Team's turn, headed by Thornforge to initiate by first connecting a fatal shot from his hammer to increase the stun duration, making the Boss unable to retaliate. Thorn's hammer was winded backwards, his ripped arms doing all the muscle work, and it was launched with much force, assisted by the system, crashing against Illfang's head which induced a stun effect, along with some minor damage. /SPACE/ We could do this. We can. Just a little bit more.

"Akira, Nineball, now!" As I sped behind my two teammates, I ordered them to unleash their hell upon our target, which they did without fail. Akira went ahead, his Ninjato, even while it was sheathed behind his back, was already glowing green, indicating that it was already charging a Sword Skill.

His nimble footwork carried him ahead of Nineball, and just as he was in front of Illfang, he abruptly stopped. "Pentagram Slash!" He then drew his Ninjato, the straight edged sword which was glaring green under the System Assistance sliced and diced Illfang's body five consecutive times, in the shape of a patterned star, followed by a three hundred sixty degree finishing blow. After the heavy attack, Akira was stuck in delay, as the heavier the Skill, the longer the delay, but he knows what will follow up...

"Gale... Shredder!" A flurry of slashes and stabs rained down from above, as Nineball executed yet another heavy hitting Sword Skill, her daggers, wielded in double, isn't particularly "Dual Wield" because technically, the dagger she held in her left hand is actually considered by the System as an "Off Hand" weapon, and Nineball actually intended it to be used as a throwing weapon for additional DPS, but she found out that although it basically suffered a penalty of 'Attack -50%', since it's still considered 'Weapon', even if it was labeled 'Off-hand', she could still use it to slash stuff, with it's own limitations of course, and the bulk of the damage actually comes from her main dagger, wielded by her right hand.

As the rain of attacks ceased, Nineball was now stuck in her own Skill Delay, her avatar standing just beside Akira, but in just a couple of seconds, and again, according to our 'usual' plan, Thornforge dragged them out of Illfang's range, safely away with the rest of the DPS teams.

Which leaves the stage open for the last three Players to take center stage, and most likely, the three most leveled up avatars in all of Aincrad.

"Storm-san, please create an opening, we'll deal with this villain." The black swordsman who ran parallel to me said as he arched his sword lower, signaling that he will charge a Sword Skill in pre-cast, and once I have deflected the next set of attacks coming from the Boss, and while we were both in our respective delays, he will interject and initiate his own attack.

Understanding his intention without even an exchange of idea, I nodded in agreement.

"Asuna-san, we'll strike Illfang together after Storm-san creates an opening, we'll do it just like how we did it with the Kobold Sentinels, got it?" He glanced backwards, towards the closely following Asuna, who's red hood seemed to have come off, and her long, beautiful chestnut colored hair fluttering as she ran together with us. Kirito also got a positive nod from her.

But at that instant, our carefully timed move broke.

Illfang snapped out of it's stunned state earlier than what was predicted, his roar was so loud that most likely it entered a 'Berserk' state, wherein at the last stages of it's life, it'll break free of whatever status ailments it is suffering, and/or recover from just about any combo it was locked in, creating an opening for itself. Then it's red eyes glared towards us. It began crouching low, preparing something...

"Shit." I cursed as I realized that it was executing the very same moveset that killed Diabel, the three point three skill death combo dubbed "Aka Minagoroshi", "Red Massacre". I began to feel the fear creeping in me, the sensation actually making a deep impression on me, as I feared for my own life but... What was I here for anyway? What was I fighting for? Was it for freedom? Was it to liberate the other eight thousand people trapped here? Or to seek the truth behind all of this?

But it wasn't any of those, I realized. I was fighting for my own good, I was fighting to realize my intentions, I was fighting to see Lynette. Heck, I can't cower in fear right here, no, not right in front of all the people I lead, not in front of the people I was leading.

Illfang the Kobold Lord leapt high into the air, like a flare being shot up.

"Storm-san! Break up! Break up! We can't keep this one up!" Kirito's voice boomed behind me, telling me to stop.

"Stormgrace!" Followed by Asuna's, I wasn't even sure if she was genuinely concerned or what because she sounded angry.

But I won't stop, not at this very moment, not now.

"Follow close behind me, I will create your 'opening'." I calmly replied as I placed my shield against my chest, going ahead of the two of them. Yes, this is my creed, whatever the outcome of today's battle... Will be proof that I have lived. That I have walked these plains, that I have conversed with these people, that I have lead them to whatever fate awaits them. This will be the proof that...

"I EXIST! I REFUSE TO BE ANYONE ELSE'S MEMORY AND I WILL SNUFF OUT YOUR PATHETIC LIFE, ILLFAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!" I shouted like a Player who had just entered his own berserk trance, well, maybe I just did, I don't know. Only one notion is running inside my mind... I want to go home. I want to friggin go home. "DIVINE..." I could feel the warm glow embracing my entire body, my eyes trained towards the airborne Illfang, his sword sticking out of his rotating figure like a fatal inquisitor's stake, ready to impale a heretic.

But I will not back down, I will not quit. Not now, not tomorrow, never.

"...CHARGER!" As I reached the point directly under Illfang, I kicked off my greaves as hard as I can, propelling myself upwards, changing the usual trajectory of my Sword Skill from the usual horizontal to a vertical plane. With the System's Assistance, my body felt remebdously light, but I travelled with such force that it was just like I was walking on solid ground, on the other end, Illfang's sword was brandished in a spinning manner, the blade rotating swiftly.

*CLAAAAAAAAAAAANG!*

At impact, it almost seemed as if sparks of lightning were emitted, due to the intense friction from the accelerated impact, the sharp blade of the katana scraping against the surface of my shield. Behind it was me, pushing upwards as much as I can, gnashing my teeth in fury, and opposite me, the Kobold Lord utilized gravity to it's full potential to be an additional property against me.

As my altitude started decreasing, Illfang's force increased, but as proved earlier, his blade could easily be veered off so I swiped my shield sidewards, brushing past his blade, halting his attack and leaving his body wide open for attack, something I couldn't miss, I have to set him up so Kirito and Asuna can land their attacks properly.

"DIVINE... CRUSHER!" While still in mid-air, I grabbed his neck, the thick tendons of which were quite hard to grasp but I still did nonetheless, then I positioned myself on top of him as we free-falled the several meters above ground followed up by the Sword Skill wherein I drove my mace down on his throat, sending the two of us downwards quicker. As we zeroed in the ground, the concrete formed a small crater, the loud smashing sound of gnashing bones, metal and whatnot plundered the air.

I was thrown away from the impact, just a few meters away from Illfang himself, who was still scurrying back to his knees. "Kirito! Asuna! Finish him!" I yelled to the two vanguards left behind, who quickly acknowledged it by rushing in side by side, blades drawn.

The distance quickly closed and as Illfang was now at the last dots of it's HP, it became significantly weaker.

"Asuna-san! Let's do this, one last Linear from you and one last Line from me, let's go!" Kirito whispered towards his party mate, making sure she fully understands what to do. The black clad swordsman and the red cloaked rapier user sprinted and leapt, each one of their blades significantly glowing and in just a few seconds, their Sword Skills exploded in the face of Illfang, sending him to hell.

I breathed a sigh of relief as soon as the hit connected, and I could feel the exparated expression coming from the rest of the Raiders. Finally it wa-

"UOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!" Out of the smoking ruined crater, a blade slowly rose up, it's significantly chipped edges were a pitiful sight, and as the smoke cleared, the almost distorted face of Illfang appeared and as he was behind Asuna and Kirito who were both stuck in their skill delays, he had but one more opportunity to cut them down.

With a face of horror, the two lightly armored warriors who thought they had finished the fight slowly turned around, eyes wide in shock as the Kobold Lord's dying arms swung the chipped blade and...

"Dogs like you should stay on the ground where they belong." Abandoning all regards for my own safety, I ran as fast as I can back, brandishing my mace to parry the blade that was careening down...

"You think I'd let you?!" At the same time as I did, the black clad swordsman, defying all possibilities was able to turn around himself, despite the heavy delay placed on him by the system, his Anneal Blade swung in contact to parry the katana along with my mace.

With just a mere exchange of glance, we both pushed the katana back, stepping backwards to gain leverage and...

"Divine...!"

"Line...!"

"BREAKER!"

"DRIVE!"

A two-fold attack was launched on opposing sides, sealing the harried fate of the first floor boss, Illfang the Kobold Lord, my mace and Kirito's sword completely devastating and wreaking havoc against the Boss' body, one could even see shock waves emanating from the point where our attacks intersected. The whole Raid party just stood still, the air was daunting and heavy, and everybody else's eyes were on us as our backs faced away from them.

And just like that, a shattering glass sound was heard, accompanied with blue powder slowly evaporating into nothingness, the once mighty Kobold Lord now part of Aincrad's history.

* * *

A/N: Hello guys! It's been a week, this is beginning to be a habit. Haha. Here we have SAO: On Infinity Edge's rendition of the fight between Aincrad's first ever Boss Raid Party up against the First Floor Boss, Illfang the Kobold Lord. I hope you guys enjoyed going through it as I had a lot of fun writing it, seriously. Oh yeah, thanks for the reviews who came in, I really appreciate it and I hope that some parts of this chapter have answered your questions. So yeah well, let's end it here, it's almost SAOnday (Sunday!) and I'm looking forward to SAO's conclusion of it's first season. Till next chapter guys! Keep the reviews coming and don't forget to check every now and then for new chapters for this fic!

PS: Here's some terms that non-online gamers might find quite difficult to grasp, thanks to another author who gave me the idea.

**MMO **- Stands for "Massively Multiplayer Online [game]", a game where alot of people across different regions and or countries log in to one server wherein they could meet virtually.

**Agro **- Or "Agression". Refers to the 'hate' value accumulated on one Player that makes the game's system recognize him as the one who has the most "danger" against any given monster wherein he is the one who is constantly being targeted.

**AoE **- Or "Area of Effect". Refers to an attack or a move which affects a certain radius around a target or the caster.

**STR - **'Strength', pretty much self-explanatory.

**AGI - '**Agility', pretty much self-explanatory.

**VIT **- 'Vitality', pretty much self-explanatory.

**Tank** - A player who usually has a great amount of Vitality and HP and is able to soak up tremendous amounts of damages as he usually has very high resistance to stuff plus a high defense value. Almost always needed in parties and more so in Raid Parties.

**DPS - **A player who usually focuses on his/her attack power, or in better terms, on the amount of skills he could throw as quickly as he can. Can deal massive amounts of damages in a short period of time and sustain it for as long as possible. Almost always prone to being killed if not protected properly.


	5. Chapter 5 A Midsummer Lull

**Chapter 5 - A Midsummer Lull**

* * *

**[Congratulations! You got the Double Last Attack Bonus!]**

Amidst that tense aura that blanketed the room, the congratulatory message that popped right in front of my vision finally confirmed the termination of the very first wall we, as the citizens of Aincrad had to face, which was the modified Illfang the Kobold Lord. Surprised from the different form of Message Notification I got, I glanced towards the Player who, amidst several daunting odds that were stacked against us, persevered until the very end to bring a conclusion to this, the black clad swordsman named Kirito.

"Storm-san... The message..." He whispered as his fingers glided over his Menu Windows, swiping rapidly to confirm the item he received.

I nod in agreement as I myself did the same, my fingers still a little bit numb from the length of our encounter with the boss.

Was it really over? The remaining sanity in me began asking questions.

The hue of the shining torches on the walls changed from a gloomy orange into a bright yellow. The dimness in the boss' room was removed at once, and from goodness knows where a cool wind swept across the room, taking away the heat of the battle. There was barely anyone who broke the silence. Group G and E who remained in the back, Teams TE, C, D and F who were on their knees, awaiting recovery, and Agil alongside his Team B, were sitting on the floor, dazedly looking around. It was almost as if we were worried about the terrifying demi-human king reviving.

"So, it's really over huh?" I whispered to myself as the fleet footed rapier user Asuna glided past me, earning a gentle nod from her as she walked towards where her party mate Kirito is, placing her hand over the swordsman's tensed shoulders, calming him down and eventually easing his grip on his sword.

With her red hood off, her angelic face is out in full view, her chestnut colored hair fluttered down her lithe shoulders, she was actually wearing zero armor and one hundred percent linen clothing, denoting her full trust on her own agility to cover up for the abyssal Defense Value she must have but still, her form in this insane battlefield sure is a welcome sight.

As the static-filled tension of the Boss Raid Party began to dissipate, scores of cheers coming from everywhere around me started to fill the scene, the shallow claps slowly starting to cover the silence. And in just a few more seconds, another System Message popped up, seemingly to ease my own uneasiness, confirming the amount of Col the party gained, along with the Experience Value, as well as the Rare Grade Items that player started to Roll for.

When the players finally realized that this was indeed, really over and once they have started receiving their spoils of war, one by one they all started raising their fists in victory and shouting as if they have finally achieved something that was previously oh-so-hard to get. My Teammates all gathered near me as they all checked for their Inventory tabs as well, with Thornforge actually giving me a congratulatory tap on the shoulder while Nineball patted me lightly on the back.

"...Those were some perfectly executed moves and brilliant commands. Congratulations, the two of you, this victory is rightfully yours." A deep, charismatic voice congratulated us, and as I turned my head around, it was Agil, his large and daunting figure holding out his right hand to me. I swear I almost shat my trousers in surprise as just a moment ago, he seemed to be totally drained out and is almost close to passing out.

But at that moment of bliss for all of us, a high pitched, angry voice suddenly broke the triumphant atmosphere.

"-Why?!" The loud burst of emotion came from my sides, and as I shifted my gaze, it came from Kibaou, his spiky cactus hair catching my attention as he stomped his foot hard in the concrete, making some *Thump* noise. "-Why did you have to leave Diabel to die?! WHY?!" He continued, the gnarl on his face intensifying as the seconds stretched.

"Let him... Die...?" Kirito replied in a low voice, averting his gaze away from the guy while Asuna stayed behind him, red hood now back to hiding her face.

"Th-that's right! It was because the two of you knew what the Boss would do, even if it wasn't noted in the manual! If you gave us that info before this whole shit happened, Diabel would have lived through this!" Came Kibaou's angry response, his hands balled into a fist, and as soon as he finished his statement, hushes from around us saying "Yeah, how come the two of them knew?" and "He's right, it wasn't in the guide..." Notions could be heard within earshot.

Then the inescapable fact actually emerged.

"I... I know! These two, they are actually Beta Testers! The Boss' attack patterns, good hunting spots and quests, they know all of them! He hid those facts away from us so they could use it only for themselves!" One Player who was down on one knee retorted as he breathed heavily, his HP bar almost down to a quarter. I swear to the Cardinal System that if not for the Player Code, I would've spilled his innards right here right now in PK.

Me, the rest of Team TE, Kirito and Asuna all stayed silent, our heads tilted low as we awaited further words coming from anybody else.

In spite of hearing the irrevocable notions from around him, Kibaou, along with the other members of his team also stayed silent, it was as if they were all anticipating this fact... Or it was already common knowledge amongst them. Could they have known this fact long ago, and instead of actually revealing it, it was used in a way that they themselves could benefit from it? But since it all went awry over Diabel's death, the lot of them decided to no longer keep it under wraps and reveal it to the rest of the Raid Party?

Shit, I haven't felt so stupid in a long time.

When Kibaou's eyes began to flare up with hate, and when he was about to pitch in more to the argument, he was stopped by one of Agil's team mate, if I remember correctly, he was also a mace user tank-type Player, just like me, who bravely held the front lines along with Agil until the very end, even if they themselves obviously didn't had the same level of items as me, their entire team actually knows how to move and act like one, covering each other's weak spots to compensate for their lack of numbers and statistics.

"Even so, the guide was only handed out like yesterday, and it was only written purely based on information gathered from Beta Phase, including whatever knowledge they have on the Boss' attack patterns. If they really are Beta Testers, wouldn't the actual knowledge they posses basically be in sync with the guide itself?" The mace user argued as he kept an uneasy stance.

Another random person stepped up, and countered. "What if that 'strategy guide' is nothing but a big fat lie? What if the Rat's information were all stitched up bullshit huh? She's a Beta Tester after all, there's just no way that she'd just give out information for free, just like that, right?"

This... Is going bad. Really bad. I'm beginning to have a bad premonition about this.

I still held my breath calmly, as the rest of my Team, as well as Kirito and Asuna did the same. But then again, if no one else from our side steps up, God knows what hell will happen to all the other Beta Testers, including the Information Broker who trades in information for a living. But what? The hell should I do? I'm the only Beta Tester among my peers, and I certainly do not want something like this to hinder any one of us, or at the very least, not them.

Right at that moment, as I was still blankly staring into the vivid hue of the System Message that displayed the amount of Col and Experience Points I have gained from the Boss fight, at the corner of my eyes, the black swordsman began to move, his hands gently brushing off Asuna's attempts at stopping him, as well as Agil, who tried restraining him as he stepped up.

"Beta Tester, was it...? Haha. Don't lump me up with those nooblings." His lips moved slowly, enunciating each word with precise accuracy. Scores of voices protesting in disbelief sputtered all around us, as we became the focus of hate amongst all others. "Listen closely,motherfuckers." Asuna blankly stares into her partner, too stunned to even say anything as he totally changed his overall demeanor to something no-so-like him. "Sword Art Online's Close Beta Trial had a ridiculously low acceptance rate that it'll be three times easier to win the lottery draw, and out of the one thousand lucky bastards how many 'real' MMO players do you think actually got it? Ninety-fucking percent were just noobies who doesn't even know where the exit of the starting city is, hell, they don't even know how to level up properly, you jack-shits are actually better at this compared to them."

At the premise of those words, the rest of the forty or so Players all shut their mouths.

Even I, was stunned. To actually think that Kirito was thinking along the same lines as me. Well good job, clap clap clap. You managed to make everybody else focus the hate on you... Or was it really your purpose to do so?

"-But I am not like those guys." His voice became hoarser, his eyes seemed more shallow than how it was earlier. "During the Beta Test period, I reached floors that nobody else dared. I learned the Katana skills Illfang used from the mobs I kept on fighting as I grinded in the higher floors. I know way more things than your usual 'Beta Tester', even Argo the Rat couldn't match up with me should I decide to sell information." He added, as we continued to listen.

I see. So that was your plan, and that was why you moved as if everything fell right into it's place.

"While I have tanked bigger, meaner and badder monsters that doesn't even exist in your wildest wet dreams. Long have I suppressed my emotion on this matter, but since things have escalated to this level, I believe that holding myself back would be more detrimental to clearing this game. I am a Player who has far more knowledge about how this game works, about how the System affects everything, from the way we execute our Sword Skills, up to the very percentage of winning a Roll of a Rare item. I know all of it." I stepped right beside Kirito, ignoring Thornforge's attempt to stop me as well. Yes, this is not something I could let pass, this is something I must do, and I alone has the power to pull this through.

Then, as if he saw a ghost, Kibaou took a couple of steps back as he pointed his inder finger towards us; me and Kirito. "Th-that's... No longer on the level of a mere Beta Tester... That's cheating! You two are goddamn cheaters!" He angrily added as his eyes squinted.

Kirito snided towards Kibaou's remarks and just grinned as he started speaking in a cold tone. "...Beater huh? Good. I like how it rings."

Amidst the worried stares of my Thornforge, Akira, Nineball and even Asuna and Agil, I decided to loose a loud, hearty laugh, breaking the intense air shrouding the room. "Exactly. We are Beaters. Never ever lump us together with those pathetic weaklings who are labelled 'Beta Testers'... Not unless you wish to follow in Diabel's footsteps, which is something you shouldn't want, given the situation we are in."

...That should do it. From here on, the remaining three or four hundred Beta Testers will be further divided into two categories, with the majority being the 'Amateur Testers' and the remaining few would be 'Monopolizing Beaters'. As the game further progresses, well what I was actually aiming for in the long run would be that the hostility of these people to be solely directed towards the Beaters, and even if a 'Beta Tester' is actually found out, hate wouldn't start pouring in specially if he's as pathetic looking as the rest of them are.

In return, the beaters; Me and Kirito will have lost all the ability to fight on the front lines in any Guilds or Parties... However, as for me, nothing much should have changed, because I'm pretty sure that Team Till Eternity would always be rallying behind me so the question would be if Kirito himself could handle himself.

"...Are you sure this would be okay?" I subtly nudged the black swordsman who looked so distant and deep in thought, snapping him back to himself.

"...Nothing will change. I've always been a Solo. And I'll stay on that path. I'm sorry to have gotten you mixed up on all of these..." He replied, his eyes averting from mine as I gave him a shrug for a reply. His fingers then navigated his Inventory Tab, and after just a couple of flicks, his body was wrapped in a brilliant light for a second before a coat, as black as midnight draped his shoulders, the hem stretching down to his knees.

"Well, that's that." I turned my back towards Kirito and Asuna, facing my comrades, confirming their stand on this matter. "I'll go on and activate the Second Floor's Transfer Gate. From the exit up there, it'll take about just a few minutes walk till the next town, Urbus. But may I remind you that mobs spawn around the field, aggressive ones. If you wish to tag along, I don't give a damn, but don't expect me to save you from anything, so be prepared to get killed by any monster that happens to spawn too close for comfort."

"Will there be chests out in the open field?" Nineball was the first to respond, her nimble feet skipping towards me before tackling me by the sides.

"A Ninja's heart is always under blade. Wherever there is danger, we're always there." Whispered Akira as he kept his usual I-don't-give-a-fuck demeanor, crossing his arms as he closed his eyes.

"Baah. The hell are you saying man. We're all in this shit together, so if you wash my ass, I'd wash yours. Tahahaha." Finally, Thornforge himself gave out a loud laugh, shouldering his hammer as he began walking towards the other end of the room, where the stairs that lead to the next floor is. He was promptly followed by Nineball and Akira.

I then faced Kirito, Asuna and Agil, giving them a military-like salute. "Well there you have it. We'll see you in the next floor then, whatever decision you come in to." I added, smiling. The three of them had eyes which showed that they understood everything. That was a relief. I faced the both of them and gave a small smile, stepped forward with large strides, and pushed the door to the second floor, right behind the main throne, open.

I turned my back away, away from everything else, away from everybody else, sealing the lonely path I am to trod.

* * *

Hot air blew against my cheeks as my hands pushed the door which lead to the staircase to the next floor open, a hint of dust could be smelled as the faint gust brushed my hair gently. I slowly ascended the dusty stone steps, it's winding orientation almost making me dizzy, I'm pretty sure that that's just fatigue getting into me but I should not feel like this right now.

I slowed down my pace, glancing backwards, seeing the rest of Team Till Eternity climbing up just a few steps behind me, they were all silent, most likely dead tired from the earlier encounter as well. I didn't bothered talking to them as I didn't want to diffuse the current mood stalemate and instead, amidst the tiredness that was biting into the edges of my sanity, I decided to forge on.

A few minutes later, we came across another door, which, actually gently opened without any of us interacting with it, and soon as it swung in full, we were greeted by a spectacular scenic view. Just beyond the door itself was a steep cliff by the hillside. A narrow terrace-like fleet of stairs which lead down the hill was set to the left of the rocks, leading further downwards to a winding path towards the town.

The second floor's district town, Urbus, looked as if it was a city entirely excavated out from the flat-topped mountain at the bottom of my sight. I now went down the fleet of stairs, as I had earlier described, it only required walking a short kilometer across the field, to reach the Teleport Gate in the central square of Urbus which would be activated upon touch, linking to the Town of Beginnings on the first floor.

If, by any chance, I died along the way, or perhaps, if I sat here idly, two hours after the boss is defeated, the Teleport Gate would open by itself automatically. But today, the fact that the first Raid unit was going to challenge the boss must have already been conveyed to the Town of Beginnings, and many players would now be waiting at the Teleport Gate, waiting for the moment the blue warp gate appears. I really should hurry to Urbus for their sake, but... For just a little bit more, I should have the right to immerse myself in this breath-taking view.

I took a couple of steps forward, and upon finding a good spot just near the terrace, the rocks jutting out forming some sort of natural looking limestone 'chairs', I sat down and I stretched my arms, feeling the warmth rays of the sun embracing my face and the serene aura the blue skies that blanketed my vision gave of.

"...So you guys are really sticking with me through all this?" I folded up my arms and placed them on my chin as I curled up.

Thornforge, Akira and Nineball all sat within the same area as me, with Nineball sitting just beside me, her back leaning against my leg.

"Where else would we go anyway?" The girl resting beside me replied sheepishly as she placed both her hands behind her head, pouting as she did.

"Even if I just said that the path we will take takes us right through enemy lines?" I answered sharply, my eyes gliding back and forth towards the guys.

"The hell Storm. I thought we've talked about this over and over?" Sighing, Thornforge who was sitting opposite to me crossed his arms in front of his chest. "We are going to finish what we've started and we will all go home like bosses. Together. No one gets left behind nor isolated. No one dies." He added with a snide.

Yeah. He's right after all. What was I thinking anyway? Was I actually thinking of abandoning them, while heralding the notion that 'it's for their sake'? I don't know, but I feel as if...

"At one point, I just felt... Unconfident. What happened back there during the raid was a big blunder, and it was my fault. Even I, with knowledge about the complexity of the Boss itself, did not foresee the possibility of it having a different load out right after the Beta Phase. I went ahead of myself, complacent. I not only endangered your lives, but everybody else's, and in the end, Diabel's death was the consequence of all of it." I mumbled, my voice getting lower as my words dragged on. "I messed up real bad, didn't I? So much for considering myself a 'veteran' and a 'beater'. What a blunder." I continued.

"Well. Yeah. I perfectly understand the uneasiness that clouds your heart, Storm." With his back turned towards us, the distant gazing Akira spoke. "But you must always remind yourself, you're not only living for yourself. And of course, you have someone else waiting for your triumphant return so until then, keep yourself alive." He trailed off as he plucked a weed of grass and placed it on his lips as he laid down on the flat ground.

"Someone waiting for me huh... Well I guess you do have a point..." Bending my back as I thought, I glanced upwards into the blue skies. "...But after everything else, I have this... Let's just say it's a gut feeling that... You know, it's as if I feel she's just around me, there's this pinching feeling in my chest that she's close by and she's just watching, somewhere." I honestly stated what I felt, after all, there was no use hiding it to these guys.

I earned astonished gazes from the rest of them, it was as if they seem to reach a point of understanding.

"Eh? You too?" Startled out of her relaxed position, Nineball jumped straight up and stood in front of my face. "I mean, I do feel that oneechan has indeed, logged in to Sword Art Online even if we all have tried countless times trying all sorts of variations we could think of for her handle name..." She exclaimed quizzically.

"Huh? What do you mean...?" In the same level of astonishment, I tilted my head as I answered back.

"Well, you see. Even though I have no base proof, I just feel like... Ever since we logged on to this game, and when I say 'ever since', it's from the very moment we stepped into this cursed 3D realm, I actually had the same feeling, as if someone was actually watching us from somewhere... I don't know, it's just a feeling anyway." Thornforge added his own two cents, tightening the grip he had on himself with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"A ninja's sense never fails... Well at least, in the real world. But... I did had the same sentiment, even as we fought back in the Boss Room, it was as if someone was actually watching from the sidelines, ready to help should we be in the direst of situations..." Akira further added, finalizing the notion that all of us had felt the same feeling.

"But I don't have any basis and besides, what's been bothering me though is that... Aren't we supposed to be in a mere game? I mean, should we even have this sort of... Feeling, whatever it is?" I myself crossed my arms in disbelief, even crossing out the possibility of the notion I brought up myself.

"If you put it that way..." Thornforge placed a hand on hic chin, rubbing it like the thinker.

"...Yeah. Pretty weird." Akira followed, tilting her head in stark disbelief.

"Now that I think about it..." Even Nineball herself, one of the people who was hard to actually convince through about it.

"See? That was totally weird. Is this how capable the Nerve Gear really is? I mean, it can even produce a vivid dream!" I shrugged as well, too stumped at the conclusion we were about to reach.

"Wait what." With a posed look, Nineball stuck up her face in a questioning motion. "Did you just say... Dream?" She asked.

As the last statement I said piqued their attention, the others listened in. The overcast clouds began to cover the sun's rays, dimming the view by a little bit.

"Wait, you guys haven't experienced it yet?" I started out by questioning them, and I quickly earned negative nods from them. "Well. I see. That explains. So anyways. I believe Thorn noticed that... Well... I look derpy just this morning, aight?" I glanced towards the guy.

"Yeah, you look like you just respawned... Errr. I mean... You look like you just ate dope. Really. Stop eating dope, you're supposed to smoke it." The mercenary type warrior who was leaning on the handle of his large hammer said, jokingly.

"Lolwut. Inb4 mainstream doping bro. Haha so anyways. Yeah, I look derp earlier this morning. Reason is a 'dream'... No, let's call it a 'nightmare' actually raised me out of bed last night and kept me up until morning..." I explained as I relived the awry visions that flashed through my eyes.

"Whaaaaat. You know Storm, you really should stop smoking. But, no, seriously. Dreaming huh... I don't know whether to believe you or not on that matter." Nineball interjected, raising an eyebrow to my statement.

"As much as I'd want to joke about it, am not. Yes, I did 'dream' about something. I was puzzled myself, trust me." I answered back to defend my claim.

"But that might be slightly plausible..." This time, it was Akira, his voice sounding a little bit like how Jamie Hyneman from an old science related TV series we had back in the days sounded. "...The Nerve Gear is a device which interprets brain signals after all. And of course, dreams originate from somewhere up there so I was on the conclusion that it's not totally impossible..." Akira concluded.

"Ah. You science freak. Bwahahaha." Thornforge, as usual just laughed it off, if anything that I like about this guy is that he's always the one who diffuses any kind of situation, may it be volatile or castoff, he always does, without fail. "Dream or not, it's just one of life's mysteries. Come on, if there's no spice, what's there to keep us hooked to this right? This is originally a game anyway so it's designed to do crazy stuff every now and then and don't be overly surprised if it does hahahahaha."

"Welp. That's that. We better leave it as is for now, we've got bigger things to worry about anyway." I stood up as I began stretching my arms once more, longing for the sounds of actual cracking bones which I was fond of hearing back in the 'other world'. "Come on, if we're all in this together, we'd better start storming through this floor's resources, monster population, quests, treasures and whatnot as early as now, we've got less than an hour and a half before the Teleport Gate opens automatically and people from the Town of Beginnings start pouring in, call me greedy but I want to wring this floor dry even before the masses arrive so we can focus solely on grinding to reach the Level Cap for this floor so we can raid the Boss by just ourselves, no questions asked. This is the path that I have chose for myself, but since you all are masochists, I am dragging you all along." I declared as I stood at the top of the cut out staircase that leads to the town.

"Boo. You're such a slave driver." Nineball pouted as she placed both hands on her thin waist. "...But since I heard 'TREASURES', I think you just hit my G-Spot, so let's goo! Hoho." She added, skipping ahead of me.

"I believe I did not do anything much over the last fight so it is in my best interest to sharpen my blade further now that I have a good grasp of the System." Akira followed as well, his lithe figure darting quickly from where he was earlier.

"IT'S HAMMER TIME!" I think you already know who this is.

* * *

We grinded and grinded for hours that we completely lost track of time, and since the labyrinth did not provided any outside views, the sun's time was almost up as it's last remaining rays glowed orange over the 3D horizon. The four of us walked in a line, our shadows stretching long, creating phantoms as we went on our way back to the newly activated main town of the second floor, Urbus.

If I were to estimate, we spent about three to four hours inside the dank swamplands theme of this floor's dungeon labyrinth, with majority of the entire land area was actually occupied by a shallow yet murky bog marsh-like swamp that actually inflicts the Negative Status 'Slow' on anyone who threads it. It was, indeed a real inconvenience because not only it hampered the overall mobility of everyone, not to mention slower people like me, it also spawns monsters who are actually either flying above the obstacle, or is generally immune to it, such as immobile man-eating plants or slithering snake-like creepers.

But I already anticipated this even before we decided to grind, and I already made advanced strategies on how to tackle the whole swamp issue quickly and efficiently, and thanks to that, our levels zoomed up again, with minimal expenditure with regards to Healing Items and Equipment Durability. And although we haven't capped this floor's Base Level Limit, I'm pretty sure that in the entirety of Aincrad, we are the most level upped avatars, statistically speaking.

Usually, if memory thus serves me right, when a town is first activated by opening the Gate Teleporter, a System Generated Event is automatically ran by the Cardinal System that produces a loud fanfare in the town's plaza, where all the NPC would gather and party like hell, with all the joyful music and all. Basically, the dungeon raiders who have cleared the Boss Room are technically the ones who always opens those Gates and are actually the ones who bask in the festivities, but not us.

Instead of going directly into town and releasing the Teleporter Seal, we decided to romp through the labyrinth, skipping the event all together. But it's not as if it was really skipped, as after a total of a hundred and twenty minutes or roughly two hours, if no one else activates the Teleporter, the System itself forcefully releases the lock, triggering the event. Player still get to party even if someone dumb enough actually forgets doing it.

The town should have calmed down by now as it's been almost atleast five hours in total that we've been absent, and rumors of the 'evil beaters who beat the Kobold Lord' might not have circulated except for the Raid participants themselves and the smaller circle they know, and the rest of the thousands of residents back in the Town of Beginnings should still be pretty clueless about it, though eventually word will reach their ears, but not now.

After minutes of walking, we were greeted by the rather modest archway which consisted merely of just stones stacked against each other, along with the gentle and more solemn oboe produced BGM of the town. As the four of us walked in a moderate pace, we barely noticed any Players around, save for a few ones who just loitered around, holding maps s they went, to couple of others who either hanged out in the Blacksmith and the General Goods store, and overall, the sparse population, the different NPCs, the new BGM made this scene feel like a totally different experience, with regards to a change of pace and mood that is.

I carefully scanned each and every player who passed by us, and there wasn't anything out of the world to their actions, and a few actually greeted us along the way. Oh and, none of them looked either like Kirito nor Asuna, I wonder where those two headed off, or if they even ascended after us.

Meh, that's one less 'beater' to worry about so never mind.

"Hey Storm that place looks mighty fine!" As if he came back from the dead at the sight of a mere dimly lit tavern-like structure at the corner of the street, Thornforge suddenly placed an arm around my neck, dragging my head downwards. "Let's go get something to chomp down, we deserve it! Bwahahahaha!" He tightened the grip he had on my neck, and I almost swore as to why the Player Protection Code didn't acted.

"Yeah yeah! Storm we've got tons of Col to spend, we should splurge every once in a while!" Nineball tagged along, skipping ahead right after she sticked her tongue out to annoy me.

"Guh~" I gasped for air after Thornforge released me from his bear hug. "Bah. You're thinking about eating even before we find a place to spend the night on? You guys must be out of your mind." I stated, checking the Official System Time displayed right below my Main Menu Tab, it was already 19:23pm, Evening.

"Well, he's right, I'd rather make sure we have something for our accommodation than gorge myself right now, we can just grab food from the Inn's restaurant or something, splurging too much on something isn't a good idea at the end of the day, since we're on a new floor, we have to mind our expenses and other stuff." Alas, the wise words of our ninja brought sulks to both Thorn and Nine's shoulders, making them droop themselves at the notion.

"So." I placed my weary hands on my waist, sighing as I did, the fatigue starting to get into my system. "It's ten times better if we find our lodging first, and as Akira said, we could all eat our meals there. I'd like to conserve as much Col as we can for our supplies and other stuff." Making sure I still deliver my words with just, while still exerting authority behind it, I swept my gaze across the same weary members of my team, their exhausted figures a harsh reminder of the past twelve hours or so of fighting.

"Boo boo." Dragging herself towards the pack, the ever-complaining Nineball did, sighing as she went.

ooo

Just a couple of blocks away from the tavern Thornforge pointed out earlier, we found our would-be lodgings for the night, as indicated by it's Bed and Coffee Cup icon, the Inn was promptly named 'Rocksides', most likely from the way it was constructed, hallowed out from the vast rock deposits West of the town. The Inn had this some sort of 'easygoing' aura that magically wraps it's interiors, probably given off by the antique-like furniture it boasted.

Upon entry, we were greeted by a friendly looking middle-aged woman, which is the Inn's proprietor... An NPC. And after conversing and making sure we choose the appropriate choices, we paid the overnight dues of around... A hundred and seventy five Col per person, and that's actually a pretty good deal given that it comes with free breakfast, come tomorrow morning. After handing out 'keys' for our room, the NPC bowed deeply and ushered us upstairs to our quarters.

Our party was split into two different room adjacent to each other by a door, and there were beds for all of us of course. As soon as we tapped the locked doorknob which lead inside, we all marveled at how lovely this simple Inn is. In just a few minutes, all of us were already plopped on to our respective beds, to sore to even move.

The person who's bed was near mine, Akira, sat cross-legged on top of his bed, ninja style. It was as if he was the most not-tired member of our troupe. I tossed and turned, waiting for the clock to strike 20:00pm so we can have dinner, we still have less than ten minutes to go. I tried striking a conversation, amidst my throat feeling all dried up.

"Do you really think that..." After throwing the first few sets of words, I started to regret the topic I chose but, I still did continue, I'm talking to Akira the realist anyway. "...If we die here, our physical body really dies?" I asked away, and I can see Akira's head slowly turn towards me.

"...Still burdening yourself with Diabel's passing eh?" Akira said, hitting bull's eye. This is what I liked about this Asian guy, he's always straightforward, frank, and has sharp wits, though he knows when to stop. I am glad he turned up to be one of my comrade.

"I'd be lying if I said 'no'." I promptly answered back, placing both of my hands behind my head, my gaze focused on the ceiling, the slow rotation of the fan hanging on it was surprisingly a calming sight. "Although it wasn't directly my fault, I can't help thinking that I betrayed his trust... Or maybe I was just thinking too much. We don't even know for sure what happens on the real world anyway, but if death really awaits people who die here..."

"Whether or not Kayaba Akihiko's threats are empty or not, we should do our best not to fall in here, wouldn't that be the greatest challenge we could ever take on? I mean, we've known each other in the cyber realm for quite some time now, Xavier. We've been through thick and thin of almost all situations I could imagine, but none of those times can ever equate to what we are experiencing right now. I, for one, am setting a mindset that this game, if I die here, I was actually living on the premise that I won't be able to see you guys anymore, for the rest of time, and frankly, it does scare me. It's a chilling fact to actually loose people you've known for years, just by dying in this game, so I push myself to my limits in order to prevent that..." Akira poured out his thoughts as the blanket of silence that's draped on us became more and more haunting, and the dim light that the artificial lamp lights by the room's interior gave off a relaxing aura.

"Ha. I haven't heard you call me by my real name ever since stepping into Sword Art Online, Akira." I closed my eyes slowly before I started talking. "Yes, sure. It is easily the most daunting task that I, as this guild's leader would ever be able to partake, as dying is actually one of the most vital and yet, unavoidable part of any MMO games we've played before. I mean, to die is to learn as they say. But here, dying would mean... Disappearing. Getting left behind. Nothingness. And that is something that I am afraid of, not only for myself, but it goes to everybody else. I don't know what shit I will do if ever one of you guys fall..." I placed one arm over my eye.

"I know right. But of course, we got the experience to back us up, we got the tools of the trade, and most of all..." Akira chuckled a little bit. "...We got you and your abnormal dreams hahaha."

ooo

The pantry did not fall short on the ambiance level, as the hall itself was fitted to not only accommodate any numbers around thirty to fifty persons no less, and the food, though we had to pay extra for it, was done buffet style, and I even got the impression that it was actually patterned off some obscure hostel in the real world. The hall itself was next to empty, save for a few Players who were either sitting around eating, and just plainly tinkering with their maps and other stuff, we all have to eat anyway, even if it's not really a System Requirement.

As usual, Thronforge being the bear he is, raided the buffet, stacking several roastbeef like servings, topped with some tomatoes, lettuce and a bunch of other things I didn't even recognize. He was soon followed suit by both Nineball, who had her plate held in both hands, with monster servings of fish-like dishes. Further in the back were me and Akira, with more... Normal like helpings of food, just enough to fill our growling stomach.

After everyone has their share, we sat down on the table farthest to the back.

"So, yeah. I believe we should be able to discuss a couple of things without having to worry about Players overhearing us, with all the commotion I caused. Lol." I said while slowly going through my meal, watching Thornforge and Nineball wolfing down theirs. Such inellegance for a lady such as Nineball. Believe me, it's quite ugly. "Well, since we're on a new floor, I am pretty sure that there's a significantly greater number of quests lying around..."

"Omnomnom~ You schuwe do wamf us fwo wokrf harf righf ouf of ze baf huh?" Thorn raised his fork in slight protest, sensing what I was about to propose.

"As long as they are treasure, why not? I mean, we get moolah, we get experience, we get loots. What more could we ask for, right?" With a wink, Nineball cheerfully stated, making sure the word 'money' is understood by all of us completely.

"...But basing on the info from the Beta Phase..." I placed my spoon and fork down the plate as I continued. "...Almost ninety five percent of the quests from this floor is a Solo Quest... And I am not joking."

Just a moment ago, the team was actually enjoying their dinner in bliss, the next one after hearing my statement, I could see their jaws drop in disbelief.

Thornforge nearly spewed whatever was in his mouth a he banged the table. "Are you insane?" His voice started sounding annoyed. "Solo Quest is something that we do not really want at this point, given our circumstances! How the hell are we going to stick together if it's tagged as Solo?!" He argued, stating the obvious fact that we, as a team that functions off a certain integral system, should always accomplish things together, and as he stated, since this isn't much of a game anymore, we couldn't afford to encounter any blunders as much as possible.

"I don't mind if it's a simple bring-me quest, there's not much gain in there anyway but, I will be pretty angry if it's more on the slay-this-creep types where you could get Experience from farming the target, and from the actual NPC who will be giving the reward. Must be pretty shuweet if you ask me, who doesn't want double doubles anyway?" Nineball, who was obviously concerned about the matter pitched in, suddenly donning her serious voice.

"...And besides, if only one of us accepts and finishes the quest, we'd have Level Gaps and although we could cap the floor's Experience Ceiling, the fact that we might not end up doing it together might produce some... Rather unsatisfactory resuslts, should we want to push through with tackling this floor's boss by ourselves..." The moment Akira shared his side, I clearly saw Thorn's and Nine's shoulders droop down in disappointment.

"Which... Actually brings me to my point. Hahaha. Don't forget, I just declared myself as a beater earlier. I have to carry it on so don't worry, I've got everything planned. To the letter." With a small, mischievous grin forming on my lips, I declared my battle plan.

* * *

The serene night sky illuminated by the soft glow of the moon was shattered with the noise of metal echoing throughout the flat expanse of the barren grasslands, just a little bit east of Urbus.

Amidst the rolling wilderness, two pairs of blades glowed and flashed, their edges repeatedly striking a single point, sending a howling small minotaur type monster to it's knees, and after one more vital slash from one of the nimbly moving blades, the mass fell down, exploding into a million fragments as it did.

"That was...?" A soft voice could be heard as soon as the blades stopped dancing momentarily.

"Mhm." Nodding, the black clad warrior opposite the cloaked one responded as he silently sheathed the blade he was brandishing.

"Yosh..." The cloaked avatar patted her chest as she placed the thin bladed rapier she held back into it's scabbard. "Phew, that sure was tiring, Kirito-kun..." She added, placing one hand into her waist.

"Check your Base Level, it should have been well worth the effort." Replied Kirito, his hands tucked inside the jet black coat that wraps his figure, draped down up to his knees.

"!" The sudden lightening up of Asuna's face sent a faint smile across his face as she quickly navigated a few menus to double, no, triple check the info that surprised her. "You... Have to be kidding me..." Her jaws further dropped as she confirmed.

"Told you so..." Turning his back around Asuna, Kirito started to slowly move towards the winding path which lead back into the town and glancing back towards his party mate, he smiled. "...It's late, we should head back, besides, I'm not entirely sure about how the time actually affects monster spawn rate so..."

"Yeah, my rapier's about to run out of Durability anyway..." Asuna agreed, quickly closing the gap Kirito has created, skipping as she did.

The two of them walked under the winding moonlit path, with Kirito ahead by a few steps. Asuna craned her head back and forth, several times, noticing a couple of spear-like objects with thick axe-like heads that were either stuck to the ground, or is just lying around, to which, Kirito paid no attention to.

"Y'know Asuna..." He then stopped, just a few meters away from a small patch of forest, a supposed shortcut which leads directly towards the back doors of Urbus. "...This place is actually famous for housing the Ironhoof Clan..."

Puzzled, Asuna did the same, stopping while her hands shakingly grasped the handle of her Fleuret rapier. "I-Iron... H-hoof?"

"Well, the thing is..." Kirito gulped, backing a couple of step away from the small forested section. "...This area... Is supposed to be infested with larger minotaurs, which, even with the two of us working together, at our levels, won't even nick their HP bars."

After hearing his statement, the color drained from Asuna's face while she brought her rapier, scabbard and all, hugging it close to her chest. "...Y-you're lying... Right?"

"I wish I was but...-" *SMACK!* Before Kirito could even finish his sentence, a thundering palm collided against his cheeks, cutting him off.

"I-I-Idioooooot!" Asuna sped off towards the opposite direction, with fear obviously ringing in her voice as she did.

Rubbing his cheeks with his right hand, Kirito soon followed suit, but before he completely turned his back around, his eyes darted towards canopy of trees, activating his skill Searching, his vision was immediately amplified by the System, and given the enhancement... His eyes happened to notice a small, faint shadow amongst the clump of trees, it's hands wielding some sort of long-bodied weapon, and it seemed as if it was engaged in a fight with a creature almost thrice it's height.

But he decided to turn a blind eye against it, he quickly followed the mad Asuna, picking up his speed as he tried to get as far as possible from that place.

* * *

A/N: Ah, late release. I wonder why FF is rejecting my format and I have to re-do some stuff before I post the chapter, makes me rather... Lazy. Hoho. Anyways. this should be a break from all the intense fighting the guys did from the last chapter and I guess this is well deserved. Hoho, please look forward to this floor's Boss Fight as I will include "Stage Mechanics" in the fight itself which the raiders would need to tackle and well, hopefully, outsmart the System to get over it. Hoho. But that goes in the next _few_ chapters soooo. XD

PS: I'll be cosplaying as Heathcliff in one of our local anime conventions around! And my girl would be Silica-chan. Dohoho. Will post pic links when we do :)


	6. Chapter 6 Stagnant Bliss

**Chapter 6 - Stagnant Bliss**

* * *

The overcast canopy of trees provided a scarce light coming from the moon which beamed through the openings of the foliage above the Player avatar who's stature was quickly dwarfed by the immense size of the monster in front of her. The two of them stood on opposing sides, the Player avatar grasping a long-bodied weapon, easily almost a little bit taller than herself, the pointed tip and the axe-like head it brandished glimmered against the moonlight.

The monster however, stood firm on his spot, it's big, muscular hands held a rather crude-looking axe like who's head was too over sized for it, adding an ominous aura to it as it was held in the gargantuan's huge hands. It's form was of a Minotaur, creature of legends with a large bulk, along with a bull's head, red eyes, large horns, steaming hot breath coming from it's nostrils and all.

Amidst the intimidating aura of her opponent, the lone female avatar held her ground as if it was nothing, her hands steadily held her weapon, trained towards the growling beast.

"HAAAAUOOOOHHHH!" The gargantuan Minotaur released another loud bellow before it came charging right into the Player, it's axe raised well over it's head, body rocking as it charged forward, while it's hooves thundered loudly against the ground.

Unflinching and unfazed, the Player simply kicked her right foot lightly, sending her avatar hurtling against the charging bull, trajectory predicted to collide with it. The distanced quickly decreased, and in just a mere split second, loud crashing was heard, accompanied by a shock wave which rocked the surrounding trees with such force that leaves were knocked off it's branches.

In that fleeting moment, it was as if time stopped. The Minotaur's huge hands was still high up in the air, still holding his gigantic axe but... It was frozen in that position. It's eyes wide open in shock, knees starting to subtly shake and in it's huge bulging belly, the Player's halberd type weapon was stuck halfway through it's spiked end. Her eyes gleamed as sharp as her blade as she further gorged the weapon in, driving the sharp tip deeper, until the elongated death bringer was fully impaled and only the axe part could be seen.

A mere half a second past before the Minotaur's HP bar drained completely, sending it to algorithm la-la-land, exploding in millions of blue pixels which scattered with the gentle breeze.

The Player then eased out of her killing pose, swinging the halberd which is roughly taller than her around, it's blade scattering several more blue pixels, remainder of the Minotaur she has just slain, which disappeared mid-air. Her eyes gradually glowed greenish, a sign that the skill Searching is activated as she scanned her surroundings carefully, taking full note of the figures she saw who surrounded her, counting as much as seven as she did.

Checking her weapon, the Player examined the blades carefully, verifying each and every chip and nick on it's surface and with a dissatisfied look on her face, she just shook her head slowly a couple of times before discarding the weapon on the ground, sticking it like a tombstone. "...Tch. What fragile things..." She then flicked her Inventory Menu open with a few gestures of her fingers, equipping a brand new halberd on her Weapon Slot. After the weapon itself solidified and was grasped within her hands, she twisted and turned it to confirm it's authenticity value before assuming a battle stance.

"...Next." Her tiny lips moved slowly, mouthing just a single word before kicking off again, dashing towards the next set of red eyes that lurked in the dark edges of the forest, her figure moved with ease despite the sheer size of the weapon she is carrying.

Throughout the night, loud howling could be heard inside that certain patch of forest, with no one brave enough to deem entry to it.

* * *

"Goodness. Why the hell didn't I thought of this?!" Thornforge complained as he dragged himself across the surprisingly hot morning sun that greeted as after we ate breakfast and decided to tackle the first Solo Quest for today. "Dang, you sure like to live up to your names eh, Storm?"

"It's... Nothing but simple logic, Thorn." I sighed, amazed at how he didn't knew that we could do some old-school tactics in this game wherein one player actually accept the quest whilst out of his main party, the game recognizing him as 'Solo' granting him access to the Quest itself while his main party who will be supporting him still sticks together as one, and just follows him around. A simple, old school tactics which utilizes the party's strength while monopolizing the Quest system, somehow quite dirty and looked down but, hey, given the situation we're in, there isn't much to weigh it against from.

"Storm, I trust that we'll take the shortest possible route towards the Boss Room which we've amazingly mapped in under five hours, right?" Akira asked, holding his chin.

"Basically yeah. We could do the other treasure chests later, we should hurry up and finish this quest before someone else does so I can get the premiere reward, which is a Rare piece of equipment which hopefully, one of us can use." Replying as I checked the map that I have, I was carefully laying down the path we are about to take.

"Let me just confirm this..." Nineball skipped ahead of me just about when we were just a couple of meters away from the Second Floor's labyrinth. "...We really need to actually go into the Boss Room, open the damn gates, meet the Boss, and run around, while searching for that... Whatever that NPC was blabbering about?" She protested, placing both hands in her waists while pouting, blocking our path as she did.

"...It's a 'Silver Ring', Nineball. a 'Silver Ring'." I reiterated, bonking Nineball's head as I did.

"Bah whatever. It's still shitty as fark and I'm not really fond of running around too much specially if the Boss Monster is hot on my behind. Why does it have to be like that anyway? Such a bugger." Nineball pouted again, murmuring to herself.

"You don't have to worry, as I've discussed earlier, you only need to make sure to stay out of the Boss' attention, whilst staying out of the poisoned mushroom' s AoE to be safe when he executes his mechanic, and just stay out of my way when Thornforge has the agro." Minimizing the map, I glanced back, making sure everybody else understood what I meant, not only Nineball, but with Akira and Thornforge as well because the Second Floor Boss Room is not like how the first one works.

For one, the entire area is a complete marshland terrain, which slightly reduces our movement speed by around twelve percent. The Boss itself, well, if I were to base my assumptions on the information gathered from Beta Test, he is aptly named "Monta the Toxic Golem", and as corny as his name suggests, he is actually one of the few bosses in the lower floors which actually packs a strong punch, given how the fight with him progresses, plus the stage mechanic, it was one of the bosses who, by Beta Test, wiped us out a good couple of times before we even got him down to a specific HP Bar level, and eventually after a few more wipes, finally killing him.

It was that hard, given that back in the Beta Phase, whenever Raids happen, it was always full. But the fact that with how the Boss Fight was encoded, it was one of the few instances where fewer people were better, and takes more brain element than raw muscle power.

Take for example, one of the more infamous Stage Mechanics that he has is the 'Poison Madness' skill. It actually comes in two annoying parts, which were both a headache to solve.

First phase of it would be the 'Poison Ring' mechanic. Monta will spit out some sort of poison thingamajing which is directed towards the Playeagro or threat level. It is a sure one hundred percent hit, and nothing can be done to avoid it. The catch is that the targeted Player, which is almost always the tank, is actually not affected nor damaged, but what it actually does is that the one hit with it will begin emitting some sort of poison aura around him and whoever gets too close to him or gets into the aura's AoE... Will take a whopping damage of around let's say... 500HP for every second that it touches the aura.

Second phase of the annoying skill is when Monta begins summoning 'Cloud Mushrooms' around himself, blocking players from reaching his position. The Cloud Mushrooms themselves, constantly puff out poison gases and should, any Player or Players get in contact with the said substance, they get inflicted with the 'Poison' status effect, which actually stacks depending on how many mushrooms he or she gets in contact with. Any Player who gets poisoned via the Mushroom takes roughly around 100 damage per second, and the status lasts twenty five seconds, and the damage adds up if he gets in contact with more than one of them.

The catch is, the only Player who can destroy the said mushroom is the very same Player who is inflicted with the 'Poison Ring' status. His task would be not to come into contact with the other members of the party, run up to the cursed mushrooms, and while being immune to the effect of the 'Poison Ring', he will also be immune to the effects of the Cloud Mushrooms, giving him the opportunity to whack out the plants so the others can proceed to DPS-ing Monta. 'Poison Ring' status effect dissipates once the last Cloud Mushroom is destroyed and Monta repeats the cycle every HP Bar that gets shaved off from him, and for every HP Bar that gets knocked off, the damage from both being in-contact with the 'Poison Ring' aura and being poisoned by the Cloud Mushroom goes up marginally, and seeing that he has a total of five HP Bars, I can pretty much imagine that certain death awaits the unlucky Player who gets caught up in those status effects.

Oh yeah, did I ever mention that Monta shoots around projectiles everywhere while he's cooped up behind the mushrooms which hits anyone, from the Players trying to run away from the mushrooms, up to the Player inflicted with the 'Poison Ring',? What an annoying Boss.

I've remembered seeing many Players who's faces were twisted and their bodies melting into nothingness from the poison, while I stood inside the safety of the aura, away from harm. But given the situation we're in, I would rather not see it again. Which is why I went into great lengths to fully ingrain those mechanics into the hard craniums of my teammates, making damn sure that they know what to do in every given situation, and how to adapt, just in case something unpredicted happens or something actually goes wrong.

So, for today, our mission would be to well, enter the Boss Room, run around in circles, avoiding his detection and try not to get agro so he doesn't initiate his 'Poison Madness', while we search for the item 'Silver Ring' which is, according to the NPC Quest Starter, is encased in the pommel guard of a bronze sword stuck in the ground somewhere, who once belonged to her husband who died while fighting Monta. Story's pretty cheesy but I must admit, it did have some sort of impact as it reminded me of how we or I myself, might meet the same fate as the NPC's husband... Specially if I put my mindset in a state where Lynette could be waiting for me to return, only to fall into despair should I fail to do so.

"So yeah, I believe I have thoroughly explained what will happen, what we will do when it happens, and what the plan is just in case something fails somewhere, and I trust you guys have gone through and made the necessary adjustments, making sure your gears and items are all okay and the strategy sound in your mind because we cannot afford any casualties at any point, hell, even slip-ups are a big no-no." I finished my statement and awaited for their replies.

"Psssh. You're just making me into your own personal lab rat since I'll be the one who'll be getting the agro should Monta notices us and he starts spewing shit all over the place." Protested Thornforge, glancing away from us, obviously quite ecstatic about his role, somebody should end up taking agro just in case Monta notices us anyway, and I might not be able to since I am the Quest initiator, and I am the only one who can actually acquire the item since it's tagged as a Quest Item, and the others can just see it, and cannot actually list it in their Inventories.

"Kukuku. Don't worry, you get the spotlight. Just. Don't go near us when you get the rings. Dohoho. I bet Thorn's gonna get pretty drained later with all the running he will do." Nineball patted Thorn's back, chuckling as she did, making the guy more annoyed.

*Ehem* "Setting jokes aside, guys, we have to be quite serious about it, because as far as I can see, it can get pretty ugly quickly if we aren't careful." Akira, with his arms crossed across his chest said with a calm voice, shutting both Nineball and Thornforge's rowdy mouths. "Uhhhh huh. He's right. We've all seen how foolishness can affect the entire fight, just like what happened back with Illfang's fight, and I don't want that to happen to us." Thumping my shield against the ground, I made sure everyone was listening closely, because even if we weren't trying to get the Boss right at this moment, the very dangers of just being within the approximate vicinity is just... As hair-raising as fighting against it as well.

After getting a thumbs up confirmation, I turned my back against them, my hands slowly touching the solid looking rock door with ancient Mayan like patterns, pushing them open, revealing a murky marshland within. Scores of 3D mosquitoes flew past me, along with a smug and dense foggy air started filling my nostrils as I drew my weapons, shield on my left and mace on my right, I raised up my arm, pointing towards the dark caverns just lurking past the distant horizon at the opposite side of the swamps.

"Let us commence." I whispered softly, hearing the squishy sounds one makes when walking on damp ground.

* * *

"Eeeeeeew." A lot of complaints was voiced out by Nineball as she tried scratching the soot and dirt all over her tunic, and since it was more linen than metal, it did accumulate more ickyness than metal, which made her a bit angry. "I tell you, I'm actually thinking that my real body might get dengue fever if one of these pesky mosquitoes bite me or if all these mud and crap actually irritates my skin. Guh." She continued, as she proceeded to dust herself off.

"Bahahaha. What do you expect? Red carpets? Hahaha you know Nine, these places are one of the best places which makes MMO games really fun, I mean, you get to explore places where you usually can't go in real life, you know... The thrill and stuff..." Thornforge said, stretching his arms as he did.

The four of us sat down inside the second Safe Point that we've blitzed through around yesterday, lighting up the bonfire in the middle to warm us up as the deeper stretches of this marshlands tend to become rather colder than usual, and with the addition of a little bit higher leveled mobs added to the pressure, so we decided to rest up a bit to recover our fatigue from romping our way through the labyrinth in record time, needing only around roughly two hours to traverse the mapped path, slaughtering monsters en route, compared to yesterday's almost four or five hour trek.

I'm pretty sure that the levels we earned from yesterday's grinding really have helped a lot and I was glad I chose to do so rather than just basking in the newly opened town. I'm not a person who likes grand celebrations anyway.

"But at the very least, we reached this point pretty quick, compared to how it was yesterday which was rather... More messy." Akira added as he twirled the small... Lizard he was holding over the fire, impaled on a long stick. Where he got it, or what that even is is something that's beyond me and I don't want to know either. "We should be thankful about the fact that we've even reached this point, just a day after the first floor was cleared, and add the fact that we haven't seen anyone else around is proof that people were either hesitant to explore this labyrinth or are still grinding their way up on the last floor's mobs."

"But then again, if ever people start seeing us, or if rumors start to spread, all of us would be labeled 'beaters'. Not as if I care about it anyway. I will finish this game no matter what, and that's my one and only goal." With a serious tone, I gazed over the flickering flames, holding my own... Generic meat over the fire, satisfied with the low crackling sound it produced.

"You mean to say, that no matter the risks, we're all in this together, right? Haha. Don't forget about us, Storm. We're all here, behind you. Long ago, before I even decided to tag along with you, I was a wandering drifter, you know, one of those... People who'd rather stay alone than in a team..." Suddenly changing up her mood, Nineball sat down just beside Akira, fishing out her own meal, which consists of a lavishly prepared barbeque-type dish, with some greens packed in the stick, along with tender looking meat. I swear this will easily fetch around five hundred to seven hundred Col... A piece. Something I couldn't spare. "...But soon I realized the limits of staying alone. There were just some thing that cannot be obtained alone, walls that can't be surpassed and other stuff, and it soon became a hindrance to my money-making. Which is why I am glad to meet you even if you're as cheap as an old man when it comes to spending guild funds."

"Remembering old times eh..." This time, it was Thornforge who spoke up, his voice becoming more solemn. "...Well to be honest. When all of this shit began, I felt powerless. I felt... Weak. I mean, not physically but, the thought of clearing out a hundred floors, facing bosses on each one of them, leveling up, grinding, farming, whatever, with the risk of actually dying in the process, not being able to respawn, the thought of not being able to go back to reality, not seeing my family, everybody else... You know, I've always carried that fear inside me, even now, I won't deny it but it still sends spikes in my heart. But the thing is, seeing Storm tackle each and every issue that arises with dedication, the way he maneuvers us, placing everyone else's safety in high regards before anything, is something that actually makes me feel more secured, as if even if I lay dying, it would ultimately fall under my own carelessness, and not his..."

"Well, I do hope we won't ever reach that point." I slowly retracted my meat slice off the fire, gently blowing on the steaming item. "I mean, yes, I do know my way around here and there but my knowledge, which stretches only up to the twelfth floor, and what's beyond that is nothing more than a mixture of theories, formulas and a bunch of other predictions. I know I don't know everything, but I try to study every action, every possibilities and make the most out of anything, all for the sake of securing our proper ascent." I started biting lightly into my meal, the succulent taste of this cheap thirty Col piece of meat gracing and pleasuring my taste buds.

"Games are designed to be experienced. And part of it is dying, respawning and basically, learning from your mistakes.." Quietly sitting with only a cup of... Something that looks like tea on his hands, Akira began loosening out as well. "...But it's not something we have the leisure of doing so around here. So in about every move that we do, we have to be double, no, make that triple careful. Just one fatal mistake and it'll be lights out, as we saw back in the first Raid Fight. Though I'm pretty sure Storm will do his utmost best to protect us and himself, of course we also have to do the same, like we always do. We're Guild Till Eternity after all."

With the Ninja's words, all of us nodded in agreement as we continue munching our meals. We got a whole lot more to worry about later anyway.

* * *

"...According to the map... Let's see..." Craning my head back and forth, I compared the mini-map on my screen against the actual topography before me, which consists of well, dead trees, murky waters and dark skies. We've explored a little bit more than where we actually stopped yesterday to venture into the boss room. "...The Boss Room should be..." I fixed my gaze towards the dark, gaping cave a good distance before us, with one last stretch of murky swamp lands to trek.

"Well, let's see..." Akira squinted his eyes after placing his palm over his brows, scanning the area carefully. "...That's the only cave-like structure around that I can see." He stated after easing out of his pose.

I also scanned the place, but there;s just something that's quite off, although I'm not sure why...

"I'm sinking in the marsh so let's just move on." With a grunt, Thornforge started walking past me as I continued fiddling with my map, his larger built but ripped body covered by his armor set which provided sturdy defense yet offered more movement, with regards to it's joints not being covered by metal, but rather by iron rings.

"Gahahaha this place seem to be more stinky than what it was earlier and I don't particularly-"

Suddenly, we all heard a whooshing sound which grazed past our ears, and after a thump noise, a wooden spear with bronze tip struck the muddy water just inches away from Thornforge's feet. Everybody froze up for a split second, surprised at what just happened, even me, I was just staring at the spear as it landed for a few milliseconds before my instincts kicked in, instantly drawing my weapons out.

"The he-" Nineball quickly moved away, her feet carrying her a couple of feet away from the immediate area, and on her spot landed two more wooden spears, making loud splashing noises as it thrashed against the dark waters.

"Move move move! Spread out!" I shouted hastily, commanding as I raised my shield up to deflect a spear aimed towards me as I walked against the spear's origins, putting myself between their trajectory and my teammate's positions, deflecting several more in the process. "Akira use the Scan skill! Thorn, cover Nine, let's move towards the Boss Room now!"

As I gave the orders, scores of weird, chanting gibberish could be heard from somewhere near the tall grass growing near the edge of the swamp, and rustling could be heard, together with glimpses of colorful and tall headgears sticking out of the blades of grass. Tribesmen. It was the first thing that hit my mind, vague memoirs of the past Aincrad suddenly flowed out of my consciousness.

The so called "Asahi Tribe", who actually resides somewhere around the more boggy parts of the swamplands before, which houses the more valuable treasures that can be looted off the second floor, but as far as I remember, it was on the totally opposite direction of the Boss Room, and it shouldn't be here on these parts, which is why I was quite confident that we'd be able to just casually walk into the Boss Room, without running into annoyingly opponents such as these ones.

Well, for one, each one of them actually has the ability to either engage people in both long range, granted by their throwing javelins, and by the sharp claws on their hands, which they wield after they exhaust their javelin stocks. As far as I remember, they don't just spawn one by one, but rather the System actually spawns them as a group, so that they can actually function just like how normal tribes in the real world work.

"Storm! They're fuckin' everywhere!" From behind me, Thornforge's voice echoed even if we're in an open space as he bellowed, sounds of his huge hammer being swung around was also heard.

"Guh~ So damn a-nno-ying!" Even Nine, who's cheeky voice rang through, together with slashing sounds from her daggers ravaged the scene as I glanced back, seeing the two retreating warriors being hampered by a rear ambush. What the heck. One moment there weren't anything there, and the next, they suddenly pop out. Was it some sort of forced summon or mob-drag?

"Storm, there's at least thirty of them that surrounds us, laying in ambush. Thinnest concentration that I can see would be further to our back, towards the mouth of the cave which is the Boss Room." Akira went in just beside me, spilling out his report as he had his ninjato drawn, deflecting several javelins away from him in the process.

"Tch, we don't have any other choice..." I heaved a breath as I continued repelling the javelins hurled against me. "...Till Eternity! We're retreating towards the Boss Room! We cannot afford to waste our resources here! Akira, Nineball! Deal with the enemies behind us! Thornforge, hold the line with me, let's get as much of these bastards down as we go! Move people move!" Without waiting for anyone else's consensus, I concentrated on my own task of holding the front as we retreated, relying on my team's integrity that they will and should be able to carry out the orders I issued, not to mention that these monsters are a level or two below us, but does make up for their numbers. Battle sounds rang all around me, tones of blades slashing and tearing up flesh, a hammer smacking armors and the own sound my mace and shield duked out as I mercilessly retaliated against the offenders, their bodies exploding into smithereens one at a time.

The minutes ticked by, the battle raged, with the swamp hampering our movement, it was a hard drawn battle, but eventually, the overwhelming numbers of the Tribesmen gradually decreased as we slowly inched our way towards the last few meters of this stupid terrain. Upon reaching the mouth of the cave however, we quickly delved into the dark opening, positioning myself just beside Thornforge and in front of Akira and Nineball, awaiting for the last stand, but for some reasons, the Asahi Tribesmen actually ceased attacking and for God knows why, just retreated, away from the cave.

As my eyes carefully watched the abnormally acting monsters, I couldn't let myself ease out of my stance, my 'sixth sense' telling me that there's something off about this whole scenario, as if it was staged or planned or orchestrated or something. I kept my eyes peeled for any other signs, my virtual irises trailing each and every monster as they vanished towards the far end of my view, I also checked the surroundings for any indications that this might be a forced incident.

I felt a light tap on my shoulder, glancing towards my side, it's Akira, which made me calm down a little bit.

"Relax. It's over." With a slightly messed up hairdo, Akira said with a low voice, just enough for me to hear as he sheathed his ninjato behind him.

I slowly eased myself, my breathing gradually slowing down, matching with the more normal pace, my shoulders started to drop it's stiffness and my hands finally calmed down it's tight grip on my gears. "...Ah. Yeah. I'm cool." Swallowing nothing, my throat constricted and I could even feel sweat dripping down from my forehead. "This... Isn't something that I was expecting... This isn't normal. I can feel it, something, or someone is definitely behind this farce." "You mean..." Nineball stepped up to me, her breathing still exasperated from all her acrobatic movements. "...'That' method?"

I threw a light nod in agreement to Nine's conclusion. Yes. It is what it seems. Mob Dragging. There couldn't be any other ways for a monster the spawns halfway across the entire expanse of this map to suddenly appear here, except of course, some GM or an Administrator summons them here, which is, by far quite impossible since there is no GM, nor any Administrator left in this game, save for the Cardinal System which governs everything.

Mob Dragging.

The intentional act of a Player where he purposely gets the agro of a monster, or a bunch of them, and after he does have the attention focused on him, he just runs off, the mobs following him to wherever he wishes. One such way of preventing this is that the Game System itself actually triggers a sequence of coded strings so that when the monsters reach a certain distance away from it's original spawn point, it does forces them to go back to where they came from, failing the attempt. But somehow, over the years, people have known to bypass that rule by just renewing the agro on them once the monsters stop targeting him, thereby extending the given range.

It's purpose? From simply annoying Newbies by dragging on slightly stronger aggressive monsters to their lower level hunting grounds... To the more serious intention of actually having the 'dragged' mobs specifically target another Player who normally cannot handle them, with the end result of getting them killed. And from our point of view and situation in this game... Is not a joke.

"Mob Dragging." Finally, Thornforge dropped the heavy word into our conversation as he shouldered his hammer. "But... How... I mean. Those monsters should be a little bit higher in terms of Levels to the majority of the other Players, and I'm pretty sure that since this entire place is desolated, no one else, not even that... Other wanker... I mean. Beater, isn't here, meaning, there's nobody else skilled or leveled enough to be able to grind here..." He crossed his arms across his chest as he continued, his brows narrowing in the process.

"That's the gist. Though, whatever the purpose is, I don't know. I didn't even anticipate all of this shit." Sheathing my weapons back into their holsters, I stood at the mouth of the cave, dazedly gazing towards the now calm marshlands, the smug air hitting my face as if to further annoy me. "...Though I don't want to assume or point fingers... I just hope this isn't the work of that cactus haired nooblet... Kibaou was it?"

"You mean that guy who had the balls to challenge you?" Trying to contain her laughter, Nineball slowly turned her back around, heading towards the unlit wall torch on the far end of the wall, and with a touch of button, it lit up, starting a chain of codes which made the other torchlights flare up, dimly illuminating the narrow passageway which lead deeper into the caverns. "Lol if he's the real culprit behind this incident, it's either he grinded insanely like hell with beating you as his motivation or he found a way to glitch his way up, as I seriously cannot think that from his looks, he'd be capable to even breaking Levels comparable to us."

"With that conclusion, we're going to run into a dead end since it's either a Player like us, the System which I doubt, or a Game Master, which should be a no-brainer by now." I slowly turned my back away from the cave's entrance, my intrepid steps inching closer towards where the others are. "Well. We'll talk about this later when we get back into town, all of this trivial matter doesn't really help given that I have to finish a Quest here, and though it's considered Solo, you guys HAVE to tag along because I'm sexy and I know it."

"Yeah. All this fighting's with apparently close to zilch loots is making me quite angry... Annd yes, Storm. The guys find you sexy." Conniving up a devious chuckle yet again, Nineball,. with the rest of the shrugging Till Eternity members followed suit as I walked past them, sighing.

Stepping into the decrepit cave, we plunged into the heart of the second floor's Boss Room entrance, into the unknown.

* * *

"That was as much as I can do without giving myself away, Commander." In a shaded part of the marshlands, two figures stood by. "...Though I pretty much anticipated that the mobs I dragged wouldn't be of any match against them, given their experience and statistics as of the moment." The slender figure on the left, wearing a sleek one piece red and white themed iron armor, covering the collarbones, down to the waist, whilst the shoulders were exposed, showing off the white skin the avatar possessed.

"That's a given." Replied the other figure, a pure white cloak draping his shoulder, covered by a rather bulky armor, dyed in crimson. "I wouldn't have my eye on them if they are otherwise." He continued, his figure a daunting sight which was in stark contrast against the gallows-like backdrop of the marshlands.

"..." The other figure kept it's silence, hands quivering as it held the pommel of the weapon sheathed on it's waist armor. "...You... Sure know how to torture others, do you?" With a sharp glance toward the avatar standing beside her own, the air of hostility suddenly filled the air between them.

"Now now. Do I? I don't think so. I am just merely..." Holding the virtual chin his figure has, the avatar who wore red armor subtly glanced sideways, meeting the other's gaze with it's sharp gray colored irises. "...Making sure the actors on-stage knew how to act their part. What's so bad about it, Sub-Leader?"

Squinting her own eyes as it met the other figure's, the slender figure calmly swayed, turning it's back against the latter. "So does that mean I'm part of your grand show?"

"Oh, you didn't knew? I thought we went over this already?" Without averting gaze, the other one answered back. "You're sick." The female bodied slender avatar who was wearing the one piece armor took a step forward, inching away from the other one. "Why go through all these lengths? Why take along ten thousand minds when you can just go fap to your delusions all by yourself?" With a pissed off tone, she spat the words at him in utter disgust.

"Hahaha. A commoner like you would never understand my dream." His lips curling up, he stated with confidence which seemed to brush off the female avatar's disgust and overwrites it with decency. "Aren't you glad to be part of it? It is the dream that will revolutionize our age, and it is one of the things which will immortalize my name, and etch it in the deepest bowels of human history, and yet, you do not want to be part of it? How absurd."

"To be honest, I'd rather just go on with my own life. Really. It was a grave error for me to find a job in your company." Doing her best not to sound too agitated whilst venting out, the female avatar gritted her teeth in futile anguish. "I... Should've just went ahead and listened to him... Tch..." With a slightly whispering voice, her lips moved slowly.

"Hmmm...? What was that, Rozenkreuz?..." His smile stretching gaudily on his face, the red armored avatar's face looks as if it was twisted in either pure happiness or seemingly malicious intent. "...Or should I say... IronMaiden?"

At that statement, the female avatar's eyes widened, as if she was in total shock, face turning pale and as if it was something new to her, she still couldn't keep her composure when she hears that name. It still does send chills up her spine when she does.

"Don't you dare utter that name. You have no right to do so, you murderer." Sharp as ice, she spat those words, turning her face halfway through, letting the guy see her eyes which were as equally sharp.

"Hooh. You amuse me. Or would you rather be called... Ly...-" Still trying to provoke her, the guy's words were cut off as she moved a quick step backwards, gauntlet wearing right hand speeding, bearing towards his cheek but just then, as if time went in slow motion, System Menus were flicked in a blink of an eye, sending the female avatar crashing to the ground with a thump against the mushy soil.

"Ugh..." Face pressed firmly against the ground, try as she might, but her limbs won't budge an inch. The one labeled 'Rozenkreuz' batted a brow and glared towards the figure towering over her. "...Y-you m-monster! One d-day... Those same people... Will definitely... Definitely snap the lights of your dreams... And I will be there to be the one to put the period on it..." She retorted, helpless in her state.

"I'd like to see you guys try." Glancing down towards the fallen Knight, who's white armor is now all muddy and dirty, he navigated through several Menus, pausing before pressing one last virtual button. "But for now, you will do my own bidding." After one last smirk, his finger pressed the System Menu. "Teleport, F-50, C-122,135." As soon as his commands were recognized, the two figures were bathed with a bright light, before slowly evaporating, disappearing into thin air.

"...Xave... Please... Help me..." A whisper escaped the female avatar's lips before her image completely faded away.

* * *

A/N: Quite a short chapter here to build up the next one, I hope I pulled this one through given the elements I wanted to push through. Anyways, got nothing much to say except of course, thanks to all the readers and reviewers, specially to Vanishing Trooper who brainstormed with me a lot. Thanks man, you're sexy and I know it. Dohoho. 'Till next chapter then!


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